A 36-year-old New South Wales man was prosecuted for orchestrating cheating at The Star Sydney casino. The swindle resulted in the casino losing nearly AU$500, 000.
Charges were brought against Hieu Duc Lam in September 2020 after being captured by a surveillance camera orchestrating a fraud with a gambler. Law enforcement alleged that Lam used a secured mobile messaging app to tip off the accomplice of the forthcoming cards.
The operation resulted in Lam and the unidentified accomplice stealing AU$467, 700 in less than a month. Lam pleaded guilty to 15 counts including, dishonesty in obtaining financial advantage.
Under New South Wales gaming laws, regulators are supposed to self-report cheating schemes to the government agency. Lam has been sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay back the fund stolen.
Lam’s casino license has also been revoked, and his employment at The Star terminated. Casino employees are supposed to supervise and facilitate gaming activities and ensuring that casino operations are conducted with integrity.
Earlier in March, The Star fired other two employees for swindling more than AU$30, 000 in gaming chips from the casino. Baccarat dealer Richard Quach was captured stealing chips from the table while dealing last year.
Pharadorn Naweesakorn was later captured on surveillance handing out AU$ 6, 000 to a customer who had handed over AU$1,000 in cash. An investigation later determined that Naweesakorn and the same individual had conspired to steal AU$ 20, 000 from the casino.