Five mainland men have been arrested in Macau on suspicion of involvement in an innovative casino scam - creating fake VIP rooms.
More than $31 million in fake chips, casino equipment, fake security-guard uniforms and a mobile baccarat table were found on Tuesday night in a suite of a Macau hotel, police spokesman Pun Sio-tong said yesterday.
'There would be people posing as croupiers, as security guards and as gamblers in the room,' he said.
The five suspects hold individual travel permits, and police believe several more suspects are still at large.
Police say the fraud ring has been operating for two months, targeting first-time gamblers from the mainland unfamiliar with Macau's casinos. The fraudsters would rent a hotel presidential suite and convert it into a casino VIP room.
A victim called police on Tuesday night, claiming he had been detained in a hotel room after failing to pay gambling debts of $4 million.