Police are alleging that six Illinois residents scammed the Wind Creek Casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, out of $300,000 while playing baccarat. Zu Lin, Yuhan Hu, Liping Zhou, and Zhencan Chen were stopped at the casino and questioned while two other players are believed to have left the property with the cash.
Authorities and casino officials allege the scheme began around 4 a.m. last Wednesday after a player named Qingyong Zhang “thumbed” the corners of the cards while recording using a cell phone in his pocket. The players are said to have used “body and card positioning while the deck was being cut” to record the cards.
“Not long after the group sat at the table, Zhang and Hu went to their individual hotel rooms, met at Hu’s room, then made their way back to the gaming table to play cards,” Lehigh Valley Live reports. “Around 5:10 a.m., Zhang signaled to the other players to start increasing their bets.”
Details on the Scheme
Baccarat is a game dating back to 15th century France and involves betting on the “player” or “banker” with each drawing a series of cards to get as close to nine as possible. Police say six players made use of the video and thumbed cards to determine which side to wager on and continued to increase their bets on Zhang’s signal. He’s alleged to head the operation.
All six players continued winning their bets, police said, and left after about two hours. While the others began playing other games, Zhang headed to his hotel room with another accomplice named Fuxiang Liu. The two men left the property with a rolling suitcase.
The four who were stopped at the casino were arrested and charged with felony corrupt organizations. Lin, Hu, and Chen were released on $100,000 bail while Zhou remained in jail. At least one member of the group apparently told police about the scam, including that the suspects used a similar scheme at other casinos.
“Hu told police Zhang paid him $5,000 to participate in the scheme, while all the money won at the table went to Zhang,” Lehigh Valley Live notes. “During the investigation, police learned that Hu and Zhou were involved in similar gambling rings in Illinois and Missouri, respectively.”
The ruse comes after several employees at William Hill sportsbook were arrested for stealing funds from betting kiosks. The suspects are alleged to have illegally added funds to kiosks and then printed fraudulent wagering vouchers to steal the money.
