False Macau Gaming Chips Cause Arrests, Several Lawbreakers Confess Fault
Fake casino chips have resulted in five Chinese men being arrested in Macau, suspected of attempting to deceive a casino with counterfeit tokens worth roughly HK$5.85 million (US$740K).
Macau's Judiciary Police revealed this information on Thursday, explaining that each of the 585 found chips bore a HK$10,000 (US$1,280) denomination. The specific casino has not been disclosed, but it is known that the incident occurred at a Cotai Strip location.
The arrested individuals admitted to their guilt, according to the police statement. The authorities suspect that a mainland criminal organization was behind the scam and lauded the cleverness of the fake chips, which were "difficult to differentiate" from real chips without close examination.
Macau generally uses RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology to detect counterfeit casino chips, a method not commonly adopted by its Las Vegas counterparts. Nonetheless, incidents of fraudulent gaming chips have fostered increasing integration of this technology throughout their operations.
RFID-enabled chips can be authenticated by security, cashier workers and table game dealers, significantly reducing the occurrence of fraud. They also enable real-time tracking of the gaming chips, making it easier to detect forgeries.
Macau has an ongoing problem with counterfeit gaming chips – often sold online in Asia – that mimic authentic chips from various casinos. Unsuspecting gamblers may even end up with these deceptive chips. Criminals may approach other players, proposing non-casino chip exchanges or peer-to-peer side bets.
Those who intentionally use forged chips in Macau's casinos face severe penalties, as the enclave's criminal code largely mirrors that of China. The code declares that one would be "sentenced to imprisonment for not less than three years but not more than ten years" for circulating counterfeit or altered coins, currency, or banknotes.
Additionally, a fine of CN¥150,000 (US$20,700) is a likely outcome among the penalties for perpetrators. With its harsh penalties, China is known for having some of the most severe prison conditions out of all developed countries, while also being accused of utilizing prisoners for forced labor.
In 2018, China had approximately 1.7 million people living in its 680 prisons. The country's detention law emphasizes a combined approach of punishing and reforming criminals in an attempt to convert them into law-abiding citizens.
Read also:
- BVB trails 1-0 against Paris, with Füllkrug leading them towards the final.
- Munich Drama: Late Real Penalty Leaves Bayern Shocked
- Lars is capable of leading BVB, according to many.
- Subsequent torrential rainfall leads to 48 fatalities due to partial highway collapse in China.
Source: www.casino.org
