The most famous recorded incidents happened in the 80s' in the massive Sun City Casino, which still operates in Bophutatsvana (South Africa) and is considered the most luxurious casino in the state.
Chip Cup Cheat Description
This cheating involved dozens of people, including players and casino employees. They used an old invention called the Chip Cup.
It was a hollow aluminum tube matching the dimensions of a stack of several chips that making it easy to cover the chips.
Also, it was painted so that it was impossible to distinguish it from the stack of chips from afar. Casino chips were hidden inside the cup, and one of them (small denomination) was glued on top of it outside. It looked like an ordinary small stack of chips.
The Chip Cup in Casino Games
This device was commonly used in the game of craps in European and American casinos. The reason was craps dealers usually put the chips in front of them in vertical stacks, while in blackjack, poker, and some other games, they are stored horizontally in special boxes. This greatly simplified the implementation of the plan.
During the Sun City cheating, they colored the cup like five chips of 10 rands (South African currency). As we mentioned above, the cheaters acted together with the dealer. In those days, craps games were not popular in South Africa, so cheaters chose punto banco, a baccarat variety with high bets. In contrast to the U.S. and Europe regulations, chips in local casinos were in front of the dealer in stacks.
Cheaters chose crowded tables, and it looked like that:
- The player sitting next to the standing dealer put an empty cup with a 10-rand chip glued on top. It looked like a 50-rand bet (a stack of five 10-rand chips).
- If the bet won, the dealer paid it with the same chips.
- However, the cheaters wanted to make it lose. When this happened, the dealer lifted the empty glass and sneaked four 100 rand chips inside.
The easiest way was to put the cup on top of them. The chips perfectly fit the cup because its diameter was carefully measured.
After that, the game continued as usual:
- The dealer collected losing bets.
- Then he made payouts for the winning bets.
- Then shuffled the cards.
- The player threw him a 50-chip in exchange.
- He got his cup back with four 100 and chips.
This move brought the cheaters $350 (instead of $50).
They often carried it out at the tables for high rollers, who drew the casino's attention. In addition, high rollers did not use 10 or even 50 chips, so they did not interfere with cheaters. Such tables were perfect for disguising their actions.
Pit Bosses' Part
The cheating got magnified when pit bosses stepped in. They build the shifts in a way to bring a few involved dealers to the proper table.
Most often, they sent them where the casino won big so that the small winnings of some players did not attract attention.
Managers and camera operators, not involved in their venture, monitored mainly those tables where the situation was not entirely successful for the casino. Sometimes they also used the help of other employees who looked out for honest managers or pit bosses approaching the table.
Over time, the cheaters had to take cashiers into the share to cash out large amounts of money with no questions. They didn't have to identify the origin of so many chips held by a cheap player.
It was also necessary because all transactions of large amounts of cash were closely monitored in South Africa in those days. Typically, cashiers who paid out big wins had to document it.
The End of the Chip Cup Scam
By the way, mismanaging the money gave the cheaters away.
Over time, wealthy dealers, inspectors, pit bosses, and cashiers began spending money in the city openly.
This fact could not pass unnoticed by the security service, so this cheating was discovered in about six months. However, even in this relatively short period, cheaters managed to steal $3000000.