Scammers Hunted Other Scammers in Macau Casinos and Charged Them for Silence

Thirteen people have been arrested in Macau on suspicion of forming a criminal group that extorted money from cheats operating inside casinos. According to Gambling Insider, the suspects blackmailed players who used the “cross-hand” trick — a sleight-of-hand technique used to swap chips or perform other manipulations during bets.

Police said members of the group threatened to expose the cheats to casino staff or to their victims unless they paid up. Since the beginning of the year, the suspects allegedly collected a total of $102,000 in “silence fees.”

The group consisted of seven men and six women aged between 52 and 82. Among them were six Macau residents, six Hong Kong residents, and one woman from mainland China. All are officially unemployed. They have been charged with extortion and participating in a criminal organization.

Investigators believe the scheme was run by a Macau resident identified only by the surname Wong.

He allegedly coordinated the members, who moved through casinos looking for players using the cross-hand technique. Each identified cheat was reportedly extorted for $13–$64 in exchange for silence.

During raids, police seized $780, casino chips, and 13 mobile phones used for communication. Gambling Park also notes that ten of the cheats who were blackmailed have been handed over to prosecutors as part of a separate casino-fraud case.