Ten men and four women have been arrested in Singapore after allegations that they cheated The Marina Bay Sands Casino out of $1.2 million whilst playing Baccarat.
The great Phil Ivey is not the only person being accused of cheating a casino out of a hefty wedge at the Baccarat tables, after 14-people were arrested in Singapore over claims that they cheated the Marina Bay Sands Casino out of $1.2 million doing likewise.
The first spate of arrests included four men and four women before a second swoop netted a further six people. It’s believed that the team that was largely comprised of Thai nationals, won $1.2 million during a 3.30hrs session played out earlier in the month. The players allegedly devised a scheme where they could read the sequence of cards in advance.
Phil Ivey is currently embroiled in one of the biggest casino lawsuits the UK has seen after he sued Crockford’s Casino in Mayfair London after they refused to pay out on a £7.8 million win streak whilst playing Punto Banco at the oldest casino in the UK.
“We have now filed our defense which sets out the basis of our case and why we are rejecting the claim. We have no further comment to make at this time.” Said Genting UK.
According to reports emanating from The Daily Mail it seems that defense will rest on evidence that will try to prove that Ivey, and his unnamed female accomplice, used manufacturing faults on the back of the cards in a system known as ‘playing the turn’.
The Marina Bay Sands Casino saw gaming revenue fall 8.7% to $640.2m in Q1, 2013, despite a record $18.2bn in rolling chip volume, so dealing with cheats is the last thing the casino needs. That being said it’s not the first time the casino has been embroiled in a cheating scandal.
At the back end of 2012 three Malaysian brothers were sentenced to jail after rack-jacking the casino of $282,000 worth of gaming chips. Matthias Ng Kjay Yeek, 24, and an employee of the casino, was sentenced to 40-months behind bars whilst his brothers both received 30-months for their part in the crime.
It’s believed that Matthias would overpay his brothers when they won, and turn their losing hands into winners. CCTV footage would eventually prove to be the downfall for the triumvirate.
