South Korean Police Following up on ‘Rigged Blackjack’ Allegations at Jeju Casino

South Korean police have launched a probe into allegations that an unnamed Jeju casino rigged blackjack games to ensure customers lost money.

Police in the island province said they responded to a tip-off from Jeju Province officials, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

Officers said the casino in question was small and part of a luxury resort complex. Provincial authorities said they were concerned by reports of huge gambling spends at the casino’s blackjack tables.

“In the case of smaller casinos, it is rare for them to operate blackjack tables,” a Jeju Province official said. “[Blackjack tables] do not usually generate significant revenues at these casinos.”

Jeju Province launched its own on-site investigation. This, officials said, involved surveying video footage gathered by the casino operation status management system it jointly operates with the National Forensic Service.

The officials added that the investigation confirmed that “profits of an unusual scale” were being generated from a single blackjack table.

“We discovered signs of anomalies [at the table],” the officials said.

Rigged Blackjack Claims: Police Investigating

During the province’s investigation, officials said they saw certain cards had been “forged or altered to favor the casino.”

Officials said they confiscated several decks of cards from the casino and passed them on to police. They also handed over closed-circuit television footage featuring “manipulated games.”

Police said they plan to question casino officials and undisclosed third parties as part of their probe.

Yonhap reported that previous casino card-manipulation investigations have uncovered the use of marked cards, illegal shuffling methods, and fraudulent hand dealing.

All casinos in Jeju only admit foreign passport holders.

Casino Cheating Allegations Sparked September Riot

In September last year, police made multiple arrests after a riot broke out at a casino in Jeju City.

Approximately 50 guests waded into a violent dispute that originated at a card table, where a Chinese casino patron raised objections to the way cards were dealt. Some claimed that a casino employee dealt cards from another deck during the game.

This led the patron to complain that the casino was rigging the game. Police said other Chinese men intervened, with more people joining the dispute, claiming the casino was trying to cheat their countrymen.

Security officers rushed to the scene, and a 20-minute brawl ensued. Media outlets reported that a Jeju City police station sent 100 police officers to the casino to break up the melee.

Despite the controversy, sales and visitor numbers continue to boom at Jeju’s casinos. Mainland Chinese arrivals have spiked in recent months, and hotel-casinos like Lotte Dream Tower have posted record-breaking sales.

In May, Lotte Dream Tower posted its highest May casino sales to date: almost $33 million. That marks a 19.5% year-on-year rise and a 1% increase from April.

However, police have warned that gambling-related crime is also on the rise in Jeju. They say there has been a rise in illegal currency exchanges that cater exclusively to Mainland Chinese gamblers.