2 arrested for allegedly stealing casino chips in Macau
The arrests were made at a casino in Cotai.
Macau.- Two Chinese nationals have been arrested for allegedly stealing casino chips worth HK$45,000 (US$5,700) from a gambler at a casino in Cotai. The Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Cheong Kam Fong said those arrested were a 45-year-old man named Cheng and a 43-year-old man named Zhang.
According to the Macau Post Daily, police say Cheng stole stole chips from a gaming table throughout a game, putting them in his coat pocket. He then went to the toilet where Zhang was waiting for him and handed him the stolen chips.
The victim said he met Cheng at the casino on Saturday evening and that Cheng claimed to be a skilled gambler and offered to help him win. The victim trusted Cheng and gave him HK$30,000 in chips to gamble on his behalf. Police seized chips and two mobile phones. Both suspects have been sent to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP).
In the first quarter of the year, the PJ reported that gaming-related crimes rose by 61.5 per cent year-on-year to 567. The rise was partly attributed to the new legislation criminalising illicit money exchange, which entered into force in October. The PJ said there were 132 cases of illegal currency exchange for gambling, accounting for over 60 per cent of the year-on-year increase.
