A Macau casino suffered a loss of about HKD1.6m (US$204,609) as a result of a gaming chip tampering scam. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Getting caught

A sophisticated chip tampering scam has resulted in a Macau casino losing out on about HKD1.6m (US$204,609). A spokesperson for the Macau Judiciary Police outlined the fraud during a press briefing on Tuesday.

a criminal group doctored legitimate gaming chips

The unnamed casino in Cotai reported the matter to the authorities on Saturday night after discovering that a criminal group doctored legitimate gaming chips to make them look like they had a HKD10,000 (US$1,278) value when they were actually worth HKD100 (US$12.79) apiece.

Police officers arrested five men at the casino, with each of them denying any wrongdoing. They claimed that they were just following instructions and were paid for taking part in the casino games.

Spotting the fraud

The spokesperson did not provide any details on how the criminals tampered with the gaming chips, but each one contained an RFID security tag that tracks their true value. The HKD100 (US$12.79) and HKD10,000 (US$1,278) tokens reportedly have very similar color schemes.

Authorities collected 33 of the fake chips

Four criminals allegedly played baccarat on Saturday and then converted the tampered chips into cash. They successfully cashed out a significant sum before a dealer noticed some irregularities. Surveillance footage from the casino shows the alleged fraud taking place. Authorities collected 33 of the fake chips.

Police caught the fifth suspect at the cashier’s cage. Law enforcement on the mainland proceeded to arrest three people who allegedly were a part of the same criminal organization. The authorities are still searching for at least one additional suspect.

Not the first time

This is not the first time that people have used fake gaming chips at a Macau casino. The authorities uncovered such a scheme in August 2023 that cost one Cotai casino about US$700,000. These chips didn’t contain any security tags but a dealer eventually foiled the scheme as they felt “rough on the surface.”

The Cotai Strip is a glamorous area in Macau that is home to many landmark casino resorts, including the Wynn Palace, MGM Cotai, and the Galaxy Macau.

A Macau casino suffered a loss of about HKD190,000 (US$24,297) in October 2020 when people bought high-quality counterfeit casino chips online and converted them at tables for smaller denominations.

Similarly, the Galaxy Macau casino resort suffered a hit of HKD600,000 (US$76,728) in July 2017 when a group of individuals used what police described as poor counterfeits.