Police find new gambling fraud ring in Gangwon casino probe

The hidden camera incident that occurred March 26 at Kangwon Land Casino in Jeongseon County, Gangwon Province, has been deemed a fabrication plotted by con artists, but the probe has unearthed a separate gambling ring.

Jeongseon police in announcing their interim investigation results Friday said the ring ran illegal gambling operations using hidden cameras.

○ Self-fabricated scenario detected

Around 1:40 p.m. March 26, two people at a baccarat table in the casino abruptly ran to a customer center carrying a card box, claiming that they were deceived by a crooked game after seeing light from the box. Eight others at the table kept back security staff.

According to the casino, the two said, “We`ve lost a lot of money here. Return our money.” To secure evidence, the two took pictures of the card box and went to the customer center.

Police found that this was a ruse by the two, who had colluded with a casino regular to receive compensation by showing a hidden camera. The regular gathered the money needed to make the hidden camera from other gamblers and delivered it to the two.

The first of the two con artists claimed to have lost 3 billion won (2.7 million U.S. dollars) and the other 2 billion won (1.8 million dollars), but the amount was exaggerated since they had visited the casino fewer than 30 times.

They commissioned a camera expert to make and deliver the hidden camera. The latter had his friend move the camera to the baccarat table. The two gave the camera technician 200 million won (177,328 dollars), including the money from the regular.

Police arrested the two Friday on the charge of obstruction of business. An arrest warrant was issued for the regular and six of the eight gamblers who kept back security staff were indicted without detention.

Investigators did not rule out the possibility that the conspirators plotted the contrived scenario after failing to use the camera for fraudulent gambling.

○ Fraudulent gambling operations also detected

A casino staff member was also found to have delivered another rigged card box on the suggestion of a separate gambling ring. After grilled over a number that frequently appearing in his phone records, the employee confessed to involvement in the scam. After the incident, the casino discovered an additional card box built with a hidden camera.

A person called “Macao” had the staff member and another place the card box equipped with a hidden camera to the baccarat table 22 times from February 2009 through November last year. In return, the accomplices received 99 million won (87,500 dollars), said police.

Given that the staff member was promised 10 percent of the profits, police estimate that the gambling ring must have raked in more than 1 billion won (884,000 dollars).

Using the hidden camera, the scammers read cards and ordered fellow conspirators to bet money through wireless transmitters and receivers. How many cards they could read or whether they mobilized other methods remains unclear, however.

A police source said, “We will know what methods they used after the results of a forensic examination of the card box by the National Institute of Scientific Investigation come out.”

imlee@donga.com