Considering that casinos handle large sums of cash, they are often vulnerable to attempts of criminal activities. From fraud and cheating to money laundering, land-based casino operators are constantly on high alert to combat unlawful activities and identify bad actors.

While in some cases, the culprits are guests, in others, insider involvement is possible. This is precisely the case for several people who have recently been arrested by the Judiciary Police in Macau over allegedly participating in a criminal syndicate that defrauded a Cotai Strip casino.

Overall, eight people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the criminal activities. All of the detainees are local residents, and their age is between 33 and 42. Despite the arrest of the eight people, law enforcement considers that more individuals are involved in the unlawful activities and it will continue to investigate in order to identify and detain them.

The Judiciary Police said that the group’s actions resulted in losses of an estimated HK$4.54 million ($581,500) for one casino operator in Macau. However, the name of the casino was not disclosed. The same group is suspected of being involved in at least two other crimes, dating back to earlier this year.

During the arrest of the eight individuals, police raided a number of properties. In the process of detention, some of the suspects were not cooperative with law enforcement. It is unclear what charges each of the suspects is facing.

Casino Operator Employees Suspected of Collaborating with Criminal Syndicate

Out of the eight people who were arrested, five have been employed by the casino operator that was defrauded. Those employees, who held roles such as dealers, table game managers and directors, are suspected of collaborating with the criminal syndicate that ultimately resulted in the hefty losses for the gambling operator.

On the other hand, the three other individuals who were apprehended are suspected of orchestrating the criminal activities. The trio allegedly played an important role for the group with a focus on planning the unlawful activities.

The three members of the criminal syndicate allegedly collaborated with casino employees to manipulate card games. This enabled them to gain an advantage in games, ultimately defrauding the casino out of HK$4.54 million ($581,500).

The recent case raises a serious concern about the breach of trust of the aforementioned casino employees, some of which held important roles. Still, anyone is considered innocent before being proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

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The United Kingdom’s new Criminal Justice Bill is set to provide the Gambling Commission (UKGC) with extra powers, allowing it to request the blocking of unlicensed gambling websites. While yet to be passed, the bill is gaining traction as the UK seeks to empower law enforcement bodies, allowing them to tackle crime and fraud.

What That Means for the Gambling Industry

The bill has already passed its first and second readings and is now being discussed before undergoing a third reading. Following that, the bill will go to the House of Lords and, if approved, will finally be signed into law.

Under the new proposal, the UKGC will be able to request IP and domain name providers to block access to websites that violate or might violate British law. At the moment, the commission must request such actions under a voluntary suspension model that has proved to be inefficient, especially for sites outside of the UK.

As a result, the UK seeks to enable agencies, such as the UKGC, to apply for court orders, which can be served even to foreign companies.

Minister Philp Says the Bill Would Bring Much-Needed Change

Under the new Criminal Justice Bill, unlicensed operators and crypto casinos risk getting blocked. As reported by Next.io, Chris Philp, the United Kingdom’s Minister for Policing, said that these new rules will allow any UKGC member of at least the level of executive director to make applications for court orders.

Philp said that this is an important step in the crackdown on foreign companies that steal a market share from their legal competitors and do not respond to requests to cease their unlicensed activities.

Philp said that he hopes everyone can agree that this is a necessary measure, arguing that it would also help to tackle online crime as a whole.

In the meantime, the UKGC just handed a £6 million fine to Gamesys, which violated the country’s social responsibility and anti-money laundering protocols. The commission, which continues to closely monitor the market, concluded that Gamesys conducted inadequate customer due diligence and was over-reliant on third-party regulation.

In other news, the UK continues to discuss the ongoing gambling reforms, especially the controversial affordability checks. While yet to be implemented, the checks have agitated many bettors who believe that the measure would infringe on their privacy. As a result, the UK Petitions Committee will discuss Nevin Truesdale’s recent anti-affordability checks petition.

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The latest such action has been taken against a 45-year-old Malaysian who is suspected to be a part of an international criminal syndicate. The man is said to have recorded cards dealt during a game of baccarat hosted out of the Marina Bay Sands, the regulated land-based casino in the jurisdiction.

Police Cooperates with Malaysia to Bring in the Man

The Singapore Police have released details about the suspect, who is linked to a probe by the Casino Crime Investigation Branch of the Criminal Investigation Department. Previously, the Department went after a 27-year-old Taiwanese man and another Malaysian man aged 35. Both have been charged as members of a criminal syndicate, with the police confiscating more than $520,000 worth of casino chips, cash, and a mobile phone in their possession.

The latest suspect was arrested on Thursday, June 8, with the help of the Royal Malaysia Police but he was sent back to Singapore last week. In Singapore, a court charged the man with a conspiracy to use things prohibited under Section 171(1) for the purposes of gambling. The charges were delivered on the very next day – Friday, June 9.

If found guilty, the 45-year-old suspect could face up to seven years and a fine up to $111,000, or both. Singapore has reformed its penal code regarding casino and gambling offenses recently, and it takes a much tougher stance on organizers of illegal gambling activities than it does on participants.

Singapore Police Remains Vigilant on Matters of Illegal Gambling

In the meantime, the Singapore Police Force has assured that it would not leave instances of criminal activities linked to gambling unpunished. The police have been actively participating in various investigations, including a large-scale recent probe that names 89 people as possibly involved in illegal horse betting activities.

The Singapore Police Force released details about this particular case late in May, saying that 85 men and four women aged 38-84 were all possibly involved. They were arrested over a ten-day period between May 10 and May 20. The case was made public by local media outlets, including The Strait Times, and the police is now sorting the suspects, who are threatened by a $7,400 fine or a prison sentence of up to six months, or both.

The post Singapore Arrests Criminal for Recording Cards at Marina Bay Sands appeared first on Keno Wizard.

Prosecutors said on Thursday that criminal charges have been brought against one Joseph Garrison who attempted and succeeded, along with his accomplices, to steal $600,000 from across 1,600 accounts as part of attacks launched on the popular sportsbook operators in November 2022.

A similar attack had already taken place that same month against FanDuel. However, FanDuel argued that it had been able to withstand the attack and no consumer was affected.

DraftKings Responds to Latest Development in Wake of Attacks

Commenting on this case, DraftKings issued a statement that was shared with media outlets, including CNBC, which did original reporting of the case. In that statement, DraftKings said that the safety of its customers was of paramount importance to the company, and added:

We worked with law enforcement in catching the alleged bad actor(s), and we want to thank the Department of Justice, including the FBI and U.S. Attorney, Southern District of New York, for their prompt and effective action.

DraftKings

DraftKings has also confirmed that funds to the impacted users were restored. Investigators though were alerted and a chase for the culprits began. Garrison’s home was visited by authorities on February 23, with police executing a search warrant and finding a number of cell and computer devices that, upon investigation, were determined to have been used as the means of both perpetrating the attack and communication with co-conspirators.

“Fraud Is So Fun”

The case against Garrison is now building up. If he is found guilty of the litany of charges he faces, amongst which, a conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, unauthorized access to a protected computer to further intended fraud, unauthorized access to a protected computer, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, and wire fraud conspiracy, he may face up to 20 years of prison time.

These attacks come in the context of increasing interest in the sports gambling sector across the United States, which makes it all the more important for companies to ensure that they have impeccable security measures in place. In one of the images obtained from Garrison’s computer, the defendant says that “fraud is so fun.”

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