A pit boss at a Macau casino faces serious accusations of stealing gaming chips from her employer in the Chinese Special Administrative Region (SAR). Surveillance footage from an undisclosed casino in the city’s ZAPE District allegedly captures a female supervisor pilfering high-value chips from a roulette table on four separate occasions. The woman, identified only as a 56-year-old local, reportedly used double-sided adhesive tape to slyly steal the chips. Investigators claim she took three HK$100K chips on June 1, June 3, and July 21. Over the weekend, casino security observed her allegedly stealing a fourth HK$100K chip.
The total amount stolen, HK$400K, translates to approximately US$51,400. This past weekend, the Judiciary Police caught the woman in possession of a HK$100K gaming chip and a sticky substance on her palm, leading to her arrest. She has been charged with aggravated theft.
This incident is part of a broader effort by Macau’s law enforcement agencies to crack down on illicit activities in and around casinos. Dubbed “Thunderbolt 2024,” this initiative has intensified police presence throughout the SAR, especially in the Cotai and ZAPE districts. Located east of prominent casinos like Grand Lisboa, Wynn Macau, and MGM Macau, the ZAPE district hosts several smaller casino hotels, including L’Arc. Meanwhile, the Cotai District features the Cotai Strip, known for its opulent five-star resort casinos.
This heightened law enforcement effort has already resulted in multiple large-scale criminal busts. Late last week, officers apprehended a woman accused of stealing HK$320K (US$41K) from an unsuspecting gambler. According to Judiciary Police, a woman sat next to a man playing a table game with a large pile of gaming chips in a fanny pack, referred to as a “crossbody bag.” After conversing for about three minutes, she stood up and walked away. The man soon realized his fanny pack was short of HK$320K in chips. After alerting casino security, police identified the woman on surveillance footage at another casino in the ZAPE District, where she was seen exchanging the chips for cash. She was later arrested, although only HK$82K was recovered. She has also been charged with aggravated theft.
The Thunderbolt 2024 initiative is not confined to casino floors but also targets illegal gambling operations outside of licensed establishments. Last month, Judiciary Police, in collaboration with authorities in Hong Kong and Guangdong Province, arrested 93 individuals suspected of involvement in an illegal sports betting ring. The sting uncovered that the operation had facilitated at least MOP1.08 billion (US$134 million) in illegal bets. Among the suspects, 50 reside in Macau, including one of the region’s own customs officers.
