Man pleads guilty to stealing from Marina Bay Sands Casino

A Taiwanese man has pleaded guilty to taking part in a foreign card counting syndicate.

Singapore.- Hung Jung-Hao has pleaded guilty to having been involved in illicit card recording at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) casino. Hung Jung-Hao admitted to three charges under the Casino Control Act related to conspiring to use a device for recording cards during baccarat games at MBS.

Hung, employed as a sales manager, confessed to his involvement in a card counting operation orchestrated by the syndicate, which comprised members from Malaysia and Taiwan. The syndicate allegedly used card counting and a secret formula coded into an Excel sheet to gain an advantage in 7UP Baccarat games.

The syndicate members, who arrived in Singapore in December 2022, included a marksman in a hotel room receiving information from a ‘sorcerer’ in the casino. The sorcerer, connected via Bluetooth to a mobile phone, relayed instructions to other members, such as the auxiliary and tank responsible for placing high bets.

Hung, assigned as an auxiliary, made small talk at the baccarat table to aid his girlfriend, the sorcerer, in maintaining focus on her tasks. The syndicate executed its scheme over 11 betting sessions, with Hung participating in eight. In November, a Malaysian man named Tan Kian Yi, was sentenced to three years and four months in jail for his involvement.