A Macau casino gambler down on his luck was arrested after threatening luckier bettors with a syringe he claimed was filled with HIV-positive blood.
Macau’s Public Security Police (PSP) held a press conference on Monday detailing their arrest of a 27-year-old mainland Chinese tourist who threatened at least three men over a five-day period at unspecified casinos in the ZAPE district earlier this month.
The Macau Daily Times quoted police saying that the suspect had brandished a syringe full of a red liquid he claimed was his own blood. The suspect also claimed to be HIV-positive, and produced a medical report attesting to this claim.
However, once he was in police custody, the suspect admitted that both the report and the blood were fake. The man claimed to have bought the ‘movie blood’ in his native Hebei province, while refusing to indicate where he obtained the bogus medical report. Police are still awaiting test results to learn if the suspect is in fact HIV-positive.
Interestingly, police said the suspect hadn’t attempted to rob the men he threatened with the syringe, but simply wanted them to place bets on his behalf, using his money.
It seems that the suspect had lost a large sum of money at the baccarat tables and that the men he approached were targeted because they had enjoyed big wins and were therefore considered to be on better terms with Lady Luck than the suspect. But none of the men who reported the suspect to police said they’d agreed to the man’s request/demand.
The man has been referred to Macau’s Public Prosecutions Office on charges of threat and attempted coercion, possession of forbidden weapons and offenses to physical security.
Much has been made of the emphasis Chinese gamblers place on luck and fate in determining the outcomes of their wagering sessions. Las Vegas Sands boss Sheldon Adelson has maintained that Macau’s much-publicized slowdown is a short-term phenomenon based on his belief in the Asian propensity to “challenge luck,” a mindset Adelson claims has existed “from the time of Confucius.”
