Casino Roulette Cheat Deported To China

A team of casino roulette cheats have landed in court after defrauding the Hamilton’s SkyCity casino in New Zealand out of $52,000 over nine months of play.
Xiao Dong Lu, 28, and her former boyfriend Zhou Zhao, 32, managed to carry out their roulette scam with the help of SkyCity dealer Bo Du, 33, who would allow the couple to place bets at the table after the ball had dropped into the winning number. For his part, the dealer would then pocket half the total winnings with the rest divided up between Lu and Zhao.
The couple ran their scam between July 2011 and April 2012, and on one of their most profitable nights walked away with more than $5,000, after clocking up six wins apiece. However, over time the casino eventually became suspicious of the couples winning ways, with a look at their casino loyalty cards indicating they both were winning “well beyond the game of chance”.
The scam was subsequently unearthed after the casino’s surveillance cameras showed Xiao and Zhou frequently arranging to play at the roulette table when Bo Du was alone at the table. Handing down his judgement on the trio, Judge Philip Connell from the Hamilton District Court, commented:
“The wins were far too frequent. It was far too much money and it was that which set the SkyCity staff on the course investigating.”
Xiao Dong Lu was described by Judge Connell as “naive” in her offending and after paying $4,000 in reparations was sentenced to 350 hours of community service , although she will now be deported back to China. Meanwhile, Zhou Zhao received five months’ home detention having paid $13,000 in reparations, while the dealer returned $26,00 and will now spend nine months’ under home detention.