Couple found guilty in New Zealand roulette scam
Two players have been found guilty for participating in a scam at SkyCity Casino in Hamilton, New Zealand, which saw them win $7,000 in winnings. Two players work with the dealer in a twist on a classic scheme that allows them to place bets knowing what the outcome will be on each spin of the roulette wheel.
The scam started when Lu Xiaodong contacted roulette dealer Du Bo. Lu approached Du and agreed that Du would allow Lu or her accomplice Zhou Zhao to cheat if they sat down to play her game at the casino.
In a way, the cheats they developed are as old as the game of roulette. This is called "past posting": bets placed later than a player would normally be allowed to post. This scam usually doesn’t require a dealer’s help, but the most experienced croupiers and croupiers can spot it immediately and nip it in the bud. That means it's definitely easier to get through the phone call if you know the dealer is looking the other way.
SkyCity's Quick Roulette game also comes with additional protection from this type of scam. The game is partially electronic because while players still bet on the outcome of the real roulette wheel, they must place their bets on an electronic terminal. This means that bets are canceled by the machine itself after a certain point, making it impossible to place last-minute bets.
But the three conspirators found a way around this restriction. In order to ensure that Lu and Zhao can place their bets later, Dubi should play the ball early. This means the ball can be in the pocket sooner than the machine expects - often even sooner than the bet is canceled.
Despite the scam's early success, New Zealand's Department of Home Affairs was soon tasked with investigating after the casino discovered some irregularities in game payments. It didn't take them long to figure out what was happening. Bookmaker Du was sentenced to nine months of house arrest in January and ordered to pay $20,000 in compensation to the casino. Lu and Zhao will have sentencing hearings in July.
"These convictions show that if you try to cheat at a New Zealand casino you will get caught," said Rob Abbott, casino housekeeping compliance manager. "Casinos and the department have systems in place to detect and combat fraud by casino guests and employees."
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Source: www.casino.org
