Singapore\u2019s iconic Marina Bay Sands was targeted by a group that appears to have found a way to gain an edge playing baccarat, albeit with the help of recording devices and an Excel spreadsheet. (Image: STB)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nTan Kian Yi, 35, was part of a team that hit the Sands casino floor in December 2022, using mobile phones to transmit images of the value of playing cards to accomplices, The Straits Times<\/em> reports.<\/p>\n\n
In the scheme, a female syndicate member, known as \u201cthe Sorcerer,\u201d would play 7 Up baccarat while wearing a concealed earphone attached to her mobile device, according\u00a0to court documents seen by the Times.<\/em> She would then relay the information about the cards to Tan and other \u201cmarksmen,\u201d who would advise the Sorcerer on how to bet after consulting an Excel spreadsheet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe spreadsheet contained a formula that apparently helped players gain an edge in the game, although the nature of the system wasn’t revealed in court documents.<\/p>\n
Others Charged<\/strong><\/h2>\nTwo other members of the gang, Hung Jung-Hao, 27, who is Taiwanese, and Chai Hee Keong, 46, who is Malaysian, have also been charged in the case.<\/p>\n
Three others, Wang Yu, 22, Hung Yu-Wen, 24, and Chou Yu-Lun, 26, are also accused of being part of the syndicate. But it\u2019s unclear whether they have been charged.<\/p>\n
Hao was arrested on Dec. 24, 2022, after security cameras caught the gang\u2019s suspicious behavior on their previous visit. Catching wind of his arrest, his associates fled to Malaysia, where they were later detained and returned to Singapore. In their haste to escape, they left behind $790K in casino chips in their hotel rooms at the Sands.<\/p>\n
Secret Formula <\/strong><\/h2>\nTan told authorities he met Wang and Hung, a couple, at a casino in the Philippines in August 2022. Hung later told Tan she had a system to help them win at Baccarat. Tan said all he knew was that the system had been developed by someone called \u201cKelvin.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Tan\u2019s lawyers argued that there was no evidence the system involved fraud or cheating; as such, it was \u201cimpossible to determine whether the effect of the formula would have been to change the odds of a game beyond that envisaged by the casino\u201d they argued.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Under Singapore\u2019s Casino Control Act, players caught using a device to count or record cards while gaming in a casino can face up to seven years in prison, a fine of up to S$150K or both.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Malaysian man pleaded guilty in a Singapore courtroom Tuesday to being a \u201cmarksman\u201d in a cheating syndicate that bilked the Marina Bay Sands out of S$433,730 (US$315k). They used hidden mobile devices to relay card values to accomplices and appear to have developed a secret system to beat baccarat. Tan Kian Yi, 35, was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":292580,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69069,62,21,18],"tags":[87452,81975,85745,88221],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Marina Bay Sands Cheating Gang Had 'Secret Formula' to Beat Baccarat<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n