Police in Jeju, South Korea, are investigating criminal allegations that some casino dealers used what local media reported as “marked cards” to scam three Chinese customers out of KRW80 million (US$51,718) in blackjack play at Gold Mountain Casino (pictured), a foreigner-only casino at the Jeju Shilla Hotel on the holiday island.
Any finding of culpability could also result in administrative sanctions against the casino itself, encompassing a three-month suspension of operation, according to a Jeju government official contacted by GGRAsia.
The Jeju provincial government – which has a regulatory role for gaming on the semi-autonomous island – has also been involved in the investigation.
The local government declined to clarify to GGRAsia how many dealers were suspected of involvement, citing the ongoing police investigation.
According to local news outlets, the authorities suspect dealers used marked cards that could only be identified by a person using special contact lenses or glasses.
The local government told GGRAsia it was referring to the alleged method as involving “counterfeit gaming equipment”.
Per local media, the alleged victims were three Chinese nationals who had earlier won a significant sum while gambling, before dealers allegedly used marked cards to reverse the losses, winning back in-house, roughly KRW80 million, stated local news outlets. The Chinese trio reportedly left South Korea without realising they might have been victims of a fraud.
A Jeju official told GGRAsia that the government’s investigators were examining playing cards and security-video footage after finding signs of possible cheating.
GGRAsia was told the local government had received tip-offs from casino employees following what was termed an internal dispute at the property.
According to local news outlets, the incident allegedly occurred on June 8. During routine monitoring, inspectors detected an unusual increase in daily gaming revenue at the casino – one of Jeju’s smaller venues. Officials also thought it surprising that the venue had generated substantially more revenue from blackjack than baccarat, the latter the main live-dealer game at most Jeju casinos.
Gold Mountain Casino was previously known as Megaluck Casino, when it was operated by Hong Kong-listed New Silkroad Culturaltainment Ltd. The operation was sold to a local company, Geumsan Co Ltd, in 2024, according to the latest industry official data issued in May by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
