Multistate Baccarat Scam Nets $1.5 Million, Cops Hunt Cheating Ring

Multistate Baccarat Scam Nets $1.5 Million, Cops Hunt Cheating Ring

Officials in various states are pursuing a baccarat cheating group that targeted at least 10 casinos nationwide for over $1.5 million. 

Documents submitted earlier this month to a criminal court in Lake County, Ind., reveal that the gang reportedly defrauded the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana of over $700K. 

Instantaneous Capture 

The group's technique utilized a cut card to briefly spread the deck, allowing a recording device to document the sequence of the cards. 

The picture was subsequently sent to a collaborator who would analyze the deck and inform other participants through hidden earpieces on when to place bets effectively. 

The group visited casinos in five additional states from July 2023 to March 2024, such as the Mohegan Pennsylvania Casino Resort in Wilkes Barre, the Golden Nugget and Imperial Palace casinos in Biloxi, Mississippi, and Bally’s Casino in Chicago, according to the documents reviewed by The Times of Northwest Indiana. 

Jianchu Liu, Fuxiang Liu, Qingyong Zhang, Honghui Wu, Daiqi Wang, and Yuhan Hu are all sought by Indiana authorities on charges of felony theft and gambling fraud. Arrest warrants have been issued for them. 

In April, Casino.org stated that Liu, a citizen of China, is sought in Pennsylvania under a warrant accusing him of two misdemeanor offenses related to winning through fraud or deception. 

Captured on Film 

Surveillance footage from Mohegan Pennsylvania captured Lui opening an app on his mobile phone while sitting at the baccarat table. He ensured the screen was dimmed to stop security from observing his actions, as stated in a police affidavit. 

Once Liu positioned the phone beneath a pile of baccarat scorecards, the dealer shuffled and permitted Liu to break the deck. According to police, the player was observed manipulating the dealer’s hands to “instruct how [the dealer] ought to hold the deck.” 

Officials in Indiana noted a comparable method but mentioned that the group would shift from one table to another until they located a dealer who was more inclined to allow the cheaters to briefly manage the deck. 

According to the affidavit, a dealer at the Hard Rock was first believed to be an insider. Nonetheless, when the investigators questioned him, they discovered that the dealer was being controlled by the group because of his lack of experience.