Singapore Roulette Cheater Off to Jail in Crackdown on Gambling Crime

20:05
06 Nov

An unscrupulous gambler has been jailed for his part in a roulette scam at Marina Bay Sands Casino in Singapore. Daniel Koh Tze Zhou, 33, was found guilty of colluding with two different dealers to cheat at the casino's roulette tables.

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The court heard that Koh had conspired with a dealer to place bets at the roulette table after they claimed to be able to make the ball more likely to land in a specific area. 25-year-old Soh Xuan Rong noticed that Koh would always bet on the same numbers — 32, 15 and 19 — and approached him to suggest a partnership.

Soh wanted to invest into Koh’s bankroll but instead the duo agreed that Koh would pay Soh SG$70 every time the ball landed on one of his three lucky numbers.

While it’s impossible for any roulette dealer to aim for an exact number every time, it seems it is within the realms of possibility to at least regularly put it within a quadrant or similar. The court certainly agreed.

Ting Zhi Ping Marcus, 27, was brought into the scam as the profits were good and they needed another dealer on the payroll to make the most of it. Unfortunately, he was detected with the other two and is now also in jail.

Channel News Asia reported:

Between Jul 1, 2021 and Jul 12, 2021, Koh played 174 games of roulette at Soh's table. In total, he won S$2,330.

His largest net winnings in a single day were S$4,305, while his greatest loss was S$5,000, on a day when he played 22 games and won nothing.

He paid Soh about S$1,000 in total as "tips" for her help.

Koh and Soh are now serving 28-week sentences.

24 Arrested in Singapore Gambling Raids

Last month, the Singapore police arrested 24 suspects for offences related to illegal gambling after raiding an industrial unit base.

Mirroring their Thai neighbours with their forceful approach, the authorities smashed their way in to catch the suspects in the act, later confiscating numerous items used to operate online gambling and approximately $3,000 in cash.

More than 300 people have been arrested in Singapore this year for breaches of the Gambling Control Act, and a further 466 are under investigation.

The illegal gambling industry is coming under heavy scrutiny from the Singapore government after being linked to a SG$2.8 billion ($2.04 billion) money laundering scandal.

The investigation, which began in August, initially led to the seizure of SG$1 billion (US$740.4 million) in cash and assets, but as authorities dove deeper into the operation, the scale of the money laundering operation was found to far surpass initial estimates.

Ten Chinese nationals are currently under arrest for exploiting regulatory frameworks via complex schemes to disguise their identities. At least one of the known ringleaders has ties to the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO).

Second Home Affairs Minister Josephine Teo appeared before Singapore’s Parliament last month, claiming that this is likely the biggest ever money laundering scheme the world has seen. She added that more than 43,000 suspicious transactions to or from gambling sites were found every year from 2020 to 2022.