A Group at Marina Bay Sands Developed a Method to Win Baccarat Consistently
A Malaysian man admitted in a Singapore courtroom to being a sniper in a swindling group that swindled the Marina Bay Sands out of S$433,730 (US$315k). They employed occult mobile devices to convey card ranks to fellow baddies and seem to have developed a secret method to triumph over baccarat.
Tan Kian Yi, 35, was affiliated with a team that invaded the Sands gambling establishment floor in December 2022, using portable phones to deliver photos of playing card values to accomplices, The Straits Times claims.
In the deceit, a female syndicate member, called the "Sorceress," would indulge in 7 Up baccarat while donning a veiled earphone connected to her mobile device, based on court documents viewed by the Times. She would subsequently disclose card details to Tan and other "rangesmen," who would advise the Sorceress about how to wager after pondering over an Excel spreadsheet.
The spreadsheet possessed a formula that presumably helped participants gain a footing in the amusement, even though the essence of the stratagem wasn't stated in court papers.
Others Indicted
Two other teammates, Hung Jung-Hao, 27, a Taiwanese, and Chai Hee Keong, 46, a Malaysian, have also been charged in the case.
Three more members, Wang Yu, 22, Hung Yu-Wen, 24, and Chou Yu-Lun, 26, are also assumed to be part of the gang. Still, it's undisclosed whether they've been charged.
Hao was apprehended on Dec. 24, 2022, following security cameras picking up the group's questionable conduct during their earlier outing. After discovering his arrest, his allies fled to Malaysia, where they were later apprehended and escorted back to Singapore. In a last-minute escape, they left behind $790K in gambling chips in their hotel rooms at the Sands.
Top Secret System
Tan informed the authorities that he met Wang and Hung, a duo, at a casino in the Philippines in August 2022. Hung later apprised Tan that she possessed a method to aid them with baccarat. Tan said all he knew was that the technique had been devised by someone dubbed "Kelvin."
Tan's legal team argued that there was no affidavit demonstrating the method entailed fraud or cheating; hence, it was "impossible to determine whether the impact of the formula would've surpassed the odds anticipated by the casino."
Under Singapore's Casino Control Act, gamblers apprehended using a mechanism to count or record cards while enjoying in a casino could face up to seven years in jail, a fine of up to S$150K, or both.
