Thailand Investigates Casino Cheaters

[george]

Thailand launches investigation into gambling accusations

SA KAEOW: -- Police and military officials working in the Thai-Cambodian border area today launched an investigation into claims that nine Thai gamblers had cheated casinos in the Cambodian town of Poi Pet of over Bt90 million, a claim which the gamblers have consistently denied.

The team of officers from the Thai-Cambodia Border Office, led by Lt. Col. Choocheep Phothinok and Pol. Lt. Wichan Jittayanant travelled to Poi Pet this morning, but were refused access to the nine Thai accused, with Cambodian police officers saying they first needed clearance from the head of the Cambodian police force.

Pol. Lt. Wicharn said that the Thai authorities hoped to investigate the case, and stressed that if the allegations proved to have any basis in fact, the Cambodian authorities would be given leave to take legal actions.

It is not yet clear whether the Star Vegas Casino has handed over the nine Thais to the local police to be detained.

But Thai gamblers in Poi Pet are rallying around the nine accused, warning of a mass boycott of the town’s casinos should further action be taken.

This morning a Thai gambler, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters that the gambling community was suspicious of the allegations. Noting that any gamblers who won more than Bt100,000 were supposed to be investigated by the casino staff, he questioned how it was possible that the nine had been allowed to cheat the casino out of Bt90 million before being noticed.

Unless the casino revealed the findings of its investigation, gamblers would not dare the play there, fearing that they might face similar allegations, he warned.

--TNA 2005-01-16

[chico]

Thailand launches investigation into gambling accusations

SA KAEOW: --  Police and military officials working in the Thai-Cambodian border area today launched an investigation into claims that nine Thai gamblers had cheated casinos in the Cambodian town of Poi Pet of over Bt90 million, a claim which the gamblers have consistently denied.

The team of officers from the Thai-Cambodia Border Office, led by Lt. Col. Choocheep Phothinok and Pol. Lt. Wichan Jittayanant travelled to Poi Pet this morning, but were refused access to the nine Thai accused, with Cambodian police officers saying they first needed clearance from the head of the Cambodian police force.

Pol. Lt. Wicharn said that the Thai authorities hoped to investigate the case, and stressed that if the allegations proved to have any basis in fact, the Cambodian authorities would be given leave to take legal actions.

It is not yet clear whether the Star Vegas Casino has handed over the nine Thais to the local police to be detained.

But Thai gamblers in Poi Pet are rallying around the nine accused, warning of a mass boycott of the town’s casinos should further action be taken.

This morning a Thai gambler, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters that the gambling community was suspicious of the allegations. Noting that any gamblers who won more than Bt100,000 were supposed to be investigated by the casino staff, he questioned how it was possible that the nine had been allowed to cheat the casino out of Bt90 million before being noticed.

Unless the casino revealed the findings of its investigation, gamblers would not dare the play there, fearing that they might face similar allegations, he warned.

--TNA 2005-01-16

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

a casino who intends to "investigate" players who win, better stops its business.

The best pr a casino can have, is winning players - at the end, the odds are for the casino anyway. and if the "investigation" is supposed to start at a 100k level, than the whole supervising staff must have been either involved in a loss of 90 million or having had a long solid nap - in either case they should be fired right away.

[chingy_]

SA KAEOW is the most screw up border of all, homesless people, dirty children, filthy, corrupt, visa runner, border hoper, massive farang, addictive thai gambler, tour bus by the load, drug runner, drug dealer, casino abductive, thief, scam, whore, sex, and last of all loud mouth korean

any who i'm doing visa run tommorow(j\k)

[chico]

a casino who intends to "investigate" players who win, better stops its business.

The best pr a casino can have, is winning players - at the end, the odds are for the casino anyway. and if the "investigation" is supposed to start at a 100k level, than the whole supervising staff must have been either involved in a loss of 90 million or having had a long solid nap - in either case they should be fired right away.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi chico, I think the word 'investigate' is in fact, just a camera check to see that the money went legit. You are right of course in the fact that 'winners' are casinos best advertising.

Not so sure the 'whole' supervising staff should be fired straight away... depends on the form of cheating. If marked cards, set up decks etc, I'd agree. If a bias on a wheel, or wheels, that is much harder to detect and could only be checked by proper analysis...

I'd like to know more about this case.

So, what casinos have 'you' worked in?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

marked cards are easily avoided by card shufflers, as are set up decks - shufflers have the additional advantage of bringing more (faster) turnover and discourage counters

bias on wheels would demand experienced staff and any kind of computer logging the numbers and thus giving (fast) enough data as to see the cheating, but then this does not give you protection against cheaters using computers on their own.

As to where I have worked : why we don't do this by e-mail, you have got mine already.

[sriracha john]

Would the Thais be detained and investigated if they LOST ninety million baht??

[stumonster]

maybe the police are going out to investigate what has happened to their cut of the 90 mil?

[p_brownstone]

Thailand launches investigation into gambling accusations

Pol. Lt. Wicharn said that the Thai authorities hoped to investigate the case, and stressed that if the allegations proved to have any basis in fact, the Cambodian authorities would be given leave to take legal actions.

--TNA 2005-01-16

So Cambodia can only take legal action against those committing crimes in their Country after a Thai Police Lieutenant gives them permission?

Patrick

[Darknight]

How can you steal in a casino by playing the game normally , Ravisher ?

Even when using systems to count cards , etc. Where in a nations law does it say that it is illegal ? Especially if it's a cambodian casino having thai's arrested 8) . They would merely be allowed to bann them from entering i presume.

Sounds pretty fishy to me

[chico]

How can you steal in a casino by playing the game normally , Ravisher ?

Even when using systems to count cards , etc. Where in a nations law does it say that it is illegal ? Especially if it's a cambodian casino having thai's arrested 8) . They would merely be allowed to bann them from entering i presume.

Sounds pretty fishy to me

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Darknight, I don't recall saying that card counters are cheats. Chico did mention that automatic shuffle machines 'deterred' counters. I do not know the law in Cambodia as to whether card counting is illegal or not.

My wife just told me that she saw on a Thai Internet news site, that a Thai woman and a group were using a microchip device to send information to a hotel room where the information was relayed back to the player telling them what the cards were. This of course is illegal, as are electronic devices for counting cards and devices to determine where a ball will drop in a section of a roulette wheel. The latter was used not so long ago in the Ritz Casino in London.

It is only a matter of time before somebody 'introduces' a card reader into a shuffle machine and a program to bring the cards out to 'order'.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

casino is and always has been a game and has an advantage by the odds in favor of the casino, depending on the game

casinos want to make money as much as possible

gamblers want to make money too as much as possible - as they know that the odds are against them, they try to bent them

then the casino has to be more clever and to find a way do stop the cheating

[shotover]

I don't understand the technology as to how a microchip can read cards. Maybe an electronics expert can enlighten us.

Per the Bangkok Post 17 Jan 2005:

"Army officers have been sent to negotiate with Cambodian authorities and the owner of a casino in Poipet about the release of nine Thai gamblers being held for a 90 million baht scam.

The five men and four women include a relative of celebrity socialite Chao Kokaew Prakaikavin na Chiang Mai.

They allegedly planted a microchip in a betting chip and cheated the casino out of 90 million baht.

Army spokesman Col Somkhuan Saengpattranet said a border coordinating team would negotiate with local Cambodian authorities and the owner of Star Vegas casino in Poipet, opposite Sa Kaew's Aranyaprathet district.

Among the nine Thai gamblers is Mrs Chorkaew Wisutthisereewong, 61, a relative of Chao Kokaew and younger sister of Thawatwong na Chiang Mai, chairman of the Chiang Mai provincial administrative organisation. The nine allegedly conspired with three other Thais who fled.

The casino operator has demanded they contact the other gang members to return the 90 million baht as a pre-condition for talks on their release.

Pol Lt Col Nirut Ruangjinthana, deputy chief of Aranyaprathet immigration checkpoint, said Mrs Chorkaew and her friends crossed into Cambodia on Jan 10 and they were caught on Jan 12.

Sources said Mrs Chorkaew, of Chiang Mai's tambon Suthep, and her friends had placed bets in the Star Vegas casino and won 40 million baht on Jan 11 and another 50 million baht on Jan 12.

The casino management suspected them of cheating and asked to search one of the women. They found a microchip implanted in a betting chip and a radio device attached to her leg.

The casino told staff to arrest the Thai gamblers. The woman allegedly used the microchip-implanted chip to touch gambling cards. The microchip passed information about the cards to a computer device in a room where the three other gang members were staying."

[chico]

I don't understand the technology as to how a microchip can read cards.  Maybe an electronics expert can enlighten us.

Per the Bangkok Post 17 Jan 2005:

"Army officers have been sent to negotiate with Cambodian authorities and the owner of a casino in Poipet about the release of nine Thai gamblers being held for a 90 million baht scam.

The five men and four women include a relative of celebrity socialite Chao Kokaew Prakaikavin na Chiang Mai.

They allegedly planted a microchip in a betting chip and cheated the casino out of 90 million baht.

Army spokesman Col Somkhuan Saengpattranet said a border coordinating team would negotiate with local Cambodian authorities and the owner of Star Vegas casino in Poipet, opposite Sa Kaew's Aranyaprathet district.

Among the nine Thai gamblers is Mrs Chorkaew Wisutthisereewong, 61, a relative of Chao Kokaew and younger sister of Thawatwong na Chiang Mai, chairman of the Chiang Mai provincial administrative organisation. The nine allegedly conspired with three other Thais who fled.

The casino operator has demanded they contact the other gang members to return the 90 million baht as a pre-condition for talks on their release.

Pol Lt Col Nirut Ruangjinthana, deputy chief of Aranyaprathet immigration checkpoint, said Mrs Chorkaew and her friends crossed into Cambodia on Jan 10 and they were caught on Jan 12.

Sources said Mrs Chorkaew, of Chiang Mai's tambon Suthep, and her friends had placed bets in the Star Vegas casino and won 40 million baht on Jan 11 and another 50 million baht on Jan 12.

The casino management suspected them of cheating and asked to search one of the women. They found a microchip implanted in a betting chip and a radio device attached to her leg.

The casino told staff to arrest the Thai gamblers. The woman allegedly used the microchip-implanted chip to touch gambling cards. The microchip passed information about the cards to a computer device in a room where the three other gang members were staying."

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i have been a thirty+ plus years in that "ndustry" i am not THE expert, but i think i know quite most of the common cheating devices, but i never learned of a chip who can read cards, especially the ones who would come later!!

[george]

Diplomatic efforts sought to help nine Thais arrested for cheating in Cambodian casino

SA KAEW: -- Local officials at a Thai-Cambodian checkpoint in Thailand's eastern province of SaKaew have proposed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to seek diplomatic links to rescue nine Thais who have been under Cambodian police custody for allegedly cheating in casino gambling.

Pol. Maj. Gen. Dusit Krueyai, head of the Thai-Cambodian coordination center in the province's Aranyaprathet District, said the nine were handed over to Cambodian police for investigation after they were apprehended by staff of the Cambodian Star Vegas Casino in Poi Pet.

The casino has alleged the Thais of pocketing about 95 million baht from cheating three times since late last year.

It was not clear when they were taken into police custody.

''My office has sent some officials to coordinate with the Cambodian side to provide helps to the Thais. We were informed that the casino handed them all to Cambodian police,'' said Pol. Maj. Gen. Dusit.

The senior Thai police said six of the arrested had been sent to the Cambodian capital city of Phnom Penh for further investigation and possible trial. Another three were reportedly detained at Poi Pet Police Station.

The Thai police said Cambodian officials have refused to provide details about the arrests.

''Our officials already informed the Thai-Cabodian Border Committee who would further ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the matter with the Cambodian government,'' said Pol. Maj. Gen. Dusit.

Meanwhile, Pol. Lt. Vicharn Jittayanant, an investigation from Klong Leuk Police Station in Aranyaprathet, said that a relative of two Thais who were arrested in Cambodia reported the incident to police on Monday.

Noppadol Chaisakdej, 47, from Prachinburi province, came to see the police to seek help, as his younger sister, Weerawan and her husband, Pongthep Boonsopha, were among the nine Thais who were arrested in the Cambodian casino.

''There have been no other relatives of other arrests coming forward to seek helps and from our investigation, it looks like the allegations have got grounds.,'' said the police.

The investigator said the casino held a press conference after it arrested the Thais and alleged that they had cheated the casino 95 million baht altogether.

The nine were said to pocket over 14 million baht on their first cheat on 22 November, and again on 19 December when they got away with more than 28 million baht.

''The last cheat occurred on 3 January. as they left with over 52 million baht.

They were all arrested while trying to cheat the fourth time,'' he said.

''We have found that they had transferred the money into a bank account in Thailand three times in November, December and this month before they were arrested,'' said the police.

He said the bank account is held in the name of Mrs. Rungthip Pongthornpisarn.

However, police have not yet found out how much money was transferred each time.

--TNA 2005-01-18