Casino dealer hides chips in pants, goes to jail
Date: 2024-10-03 Author: Robert Beloved Categories: CASINO
The dealer, 35-year-old Oumnakil Thanakorn, originally from Thailand, worked at the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) casino, where he managed to steal at least S$55,000 (approximately US$42,800) in chips using a scam. To avoid detection, he recruited two women to help him exchange S$37,000 (approximately US$28,545) for cash.
Thanakorn was arrested in July 2024 after police found S$10,000 (US$7,714) worth of chips in his home and storage locker. Court documents do not reveal how he was caught.
The man pleaded guilty to three charges, including breach of trust and inciting others to convert his criminal proceeds. Two more charges will be heard in the case.
Thanakorn initially faced up to 25 years in prison and large fines. However, prosecutors agreed to a lesser sentence of 12 to 14 months after he agreed to plead guilty. He will be ordered to return to Thailand after serving his sentence.
Converting criminal proceeds or inciting others to do so carries a maximum of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to half a million dollars, or both.
Thanakorn began his career as a dealer at RWS in December 2022, handling cards and chips for popular games such as pontoon, roulette and baccarat. His thefts began in April 2024, when he began taking chips from the till – a stack of chips kept on the gaming table.
To disguise his actions, he would cover his hand with paper as he picked up the chips, then hide them in the waistband of his pants or behind his zip. He repeated this trick at least 29 times between April and July 2024.
Since exchanging the stolen chips for cash would itself raise suspicion, he turned to two female gamers for help, offering them a commission. Between May and July, Thanakorn met with them on seven occasions, handing over chips that they exchanged for cash at a casino owned by Malaysia’s Genting Group.
One of the women, Bungloy Ananyaporn, exchanged chips worth S$32,500 (US$25,073), while the other, Techawattanasakul Warathari, exchanged chips for S$4,500 (US$3,471). The money was never returned.
Thanakorn initially planned to use the stolen funds to pay off debts in Thailand and support his daughter. However, even after paying off his debts, he continued to commit crimes, using the stolen funds for personal use.
