A 35-year-old Malaysian man has plead guilty to four charges under Singapore’s Casino Control Act for his role in a group alleged to have illegally used devices to record cards while playing baccarat at Marina Bay Sands in December 2022.
Tan Kian Yi is one of multiple syndicate members arrested earlier this year after they were found to have used information obtained via use of the devices to obtain information on which cards had been dealt from the shoe. The group had won SG$433,730 in total when arrested while Singapore police seized SG$790,000 worth of casino chips from their hotel rooms.
According to The Straits Times, a female syndicate member known as the “Sorcerer” would use a concealed earphone connected by bluetooth to her mobile phone to share information with an accomplice referred to as a “marksman”, stationed elsewhere, who would then enter the information into a spreadsheet. The “marksman” would then implement a formula and tell the “sorcerer” how to bet on future hands.
It remains unclear how the formula worked and defense lawyers argued it could not be determined whether the formula had impacted the odds of the game.
The activity was identified after security staff observed the syndicate members’ behavior while reviewing closed-circuit television footage.
Two of Tan’s alleged accomplices – a 27-year-old from Taiwan and a 46-year-old from Malaysia – were charged earlier this year with their cases pending. Tan, who was arrested in Kuala Lumpur in February and taken back to Singapore, will be sentenced in November, The Straits Times said.
