Ex-South Korea Casino Employees Face Justice for $3.5M Fraud Scheme Targeting Foreigners

The scheme that took place at the Golden Crown Daegu Casino in South Korea saw a number of staffers, from rank-and-files to executives, participate in a well-orchestrated and fraudulent scheme that interfered with game results to defraud foreigners of an estimated $3.5 million.

South Korean Casino Employees and High-Ranking Execs Face Reckoning

Specifically, the case names two Chinese nationals whose losses amounted to the aforementioned sum. Although the names of the people were not released to the public, details about the case are known.

The 12 co-conspirators orchestrated the fraud using card stacking and artificially lowering the odds for the players in question, resulting in significant losses for the players. More egregiously, the dealers were able to deal a losing hand to players on a whim.

The scam required the involvement of everyone, and the acquiescence of the dealers as well as the high-ranking staffers at the property at the time.

The case dates back to 2017. At the time, the dealers pulled cards from the bottom of the decks while making it appear they were dealing cards as normally. The bottom cards were specifically set up to lower the odds or deal losing hands for the two players, resulting in their losses.

The individuals concerned were pit bosses, dealers, sales directors, and managers, and they were all induced to comply in various roles. In examining the case, chief judge Lee Jong-gil said that the scheme was a sophisticated and intelligently organized criminal endeavor, but worse of all, the ringleader of the scheme had shown no regret about his actions.

As a result, the court ruled against the defendants, sentencing them to prison for varying lengths of time, from 12 months to three years. Some of the defendants will avoid prison sentence but they will have to observe a probation period as well as up to five years of community service – up to 200 hours.

The Real Scope of the Scheme Is Unknown but Going Back Years

Interestingly, Golden Crown Daegu Casino was accused in similar criminal proceedings between 2012 and 2014 when the property allegedly used the same card manipulation technique to steal $2 million from three baccarat players.

However, there may be more uncovered cases tied to this criminal enterprise. It is possible for the ring to have run unperturbed for years and to have defrauded an unknown number of regular and high-roller players.