Chips used to play table games at Galaxy Macau Casino
The Macau Judiciary Police has uncovered another fake casino chip operation that is believed to have defrauded casinos through the use of fake casino chips.
Suspects won over HK$700k at tables using fake chips
According to a report on local radio TDM Radio, two men from mainland China were arrested yesterday on suspicion of running the operation in which counterfeit casino chips were used to play at tables at Galaxy Macau Casino.
The police were alerted to the potential scam when a casino dealer noticed that that a ten chips with a total value of HK$10,000 ($1,275/€1,174) had a slightly different texture. Once the chips were verified as fakes, casino staff traced the chips use and identified the two individuals using them. The police were then notified and arrested the two suspects.
During the police operation, 804 fake casino chips were seized with a total value of HK$5.6 million ($714,246/€657,985). Working with the casino, the police identified eight individuals that were suspected of using the chips on the same day. However, six of those people left the casino as soon as the first two were arrested.
The six that left the casino made their way through border control and discarded the chips on the way. Police later found 112 counterfeit chips at a local waste center. These had a face value of HK$10,000 each.
According to the police, the syndicate used around 493 chips at the casino. These each had a face value of KHK$10,000. The syndicate is believed to have won over HK$700,000 ($89,283/€82,253) at the tables.
Fake casino chips have been found on multiple occasions at Macau casinos throughout the years. However, this is the largest seizure since 65 chips with face value of HK$2 million were seized in Q1 2020.
