Crime | HKD48m goes missing in VIP room heist

A croupier from a VIP room located in a casino in the NAPE area has been accused of stealing gaming chips worth a total of HKD47.9 million, a source in the Judiciary Police (PJ) informed.

The case was reported to the police force by the casino’s security on January 16 at 7 a.m. The PJ said that although they have identified the suspect, they have not yet apprehended him.

The surveillance cameras of the casino recorded the heist, showing the moment of the crime in which the man placed the chips into a bag.

Currently, the PJ spokesperson did not want to disclose further details, as the case is still under investigation. However, the spokesperson did note that there are people other than the croupier who they believe to be involved in the crime.

TDM’s Radio Macau earlier reported that the casino in question was Wynn Macau.

The Times attempted to verify the report by contacting representatives of the casino operator, but received only the reply, “the matter is now being handled by the police.”

Thefts from VIP rooms or junket operators are not unheard of in Macau.

In 2015, an unidentified junket operator was reported to have lost HKD1.2 million to a VIP room low-level scam.

In the following year, SJM Holdings confirmed that a junket company operating at L’Arc Macau had been the victim of an alleged theft amounting to HKD99.7 million.

Croupiers and junket account managers have been thought on several occasions to be behind the thefts. RM/DB