22-11-2023 (SINGAPORE) A Malaysian man involved in an illicit scheme at the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) casino, where devices were used to secretly record cards during games, has been sentenced to three years and four months’ imprisonment on November 22.
The syndicate, which operated in Singapore from December 16 to 23, 2022, managed to amass a total of $433,730 in winnings at the casino tables.
This case is believed to be the first of its kind in Singapore. Tan Kian Yi, a 35-year-old Malaysian national, pleaded guilty in October to four charges under the Casino Control Act.
Two alleged accomplices, Hung Jung-Hao from Taiwan, aged 27, and Chai Hee Keong, a 46-year-old Malaysian, were previously charged in a Singapore district court in early 2023, and their cases are still pending.
Three other Taiwanese individuals are believed to be part of the syndicate, but it remains undisclosed whether they have been apprehended. The individuals are identified as Hung’s girlfriend, Ms. Chou Yu-Lun, 26; Mr. Wang Yu, 22; and his girlfriend, Ms. Hung Yu-Wen, 24.
The syndicate employed a strategy where a female member, referred to as the “sorcerer,” would wear a concealed earphone connected to her mobile phone via Bluetooth while sitting at a gaming table. She would then relay card information to an accomplice stationed elsewhere.
This accomplice, known as the “marksman,” would enter the information into an Excel spreadsheet formula to determine the course of action and instruct the “sorcerer” on placing bets.
Details regarding the functioning of the formula were not disclosed in court documents. Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Shao Yan revealed that the formula was developed by an individual known only as Kelvin.
In August 2022, Tan met Ms. Hung Yu-Wen during a visit to a casino in the Philippines, where she introduced him to Mr. Wang. She later approached Tan with an offer to win cash through the baccarat card game.
In October 2022, Tan reunited with the couple in Singapore, where they stayed at the MBS hotel and observed baccarat games at the casino. Ms. Hung Yu-Wen revealed her “formula” to Tan, claiming it could guarantee wins in baccarat, and Tan agreed to join their scheme.
Tan received instructions on how to use the formula and was given a set of codes to memorize, representing the values and suits of the cards in baccarat games. He was informed that he would input the codes into an Excel sheet once someone transmitted the information to him. At Tan’s request, his close friend Chai was allowed to join the syndicate, according to the DPP.
In December 2022, the two Malaysians met with Ms. Hung Yu-Wen and Mr. Wang at an MBS hotel room, where they were introduced to Hung Jung-Hao and Ms. Chou for the first time.
Each member played a specific role in carrying out the offenses at the MBS casino. Tan and Ms. Hung Yu-Wen took turns as the “marksman,” while Ms. Hung Yu-Wen and Ms. Chou alternated as the “sorcerer.”
The illicit activities came to light when casino staff reviewed closed-circuit television footage and noticed suspicious behavior exhibited by the syndicate members.
On December 24, 2022, Hung Jung-Hao visited the casino alone to gamble, leading to his subsequent arrest by the police. Suspecting they had been exposed, the remaining syndicate members left Singapore the following day.
The police later seized casino chips worth over $790,000 from the syndicate members’ hotel rooms.
Tan was apprehended in Kuala Lumpur in February 2023 and extradited to Singapore. However, he has yet to make any restitution.
Chai, who returned to Malaysia, had a warrant of arrest issued against him by the Singapore State Courts. In June, Malaysian authorities arrested him, and he was subsequently brought back to Singapore to face charges in court.
