Justin Ly: The Star casino worker stole $90k - how he did it
For the first time, court documents reveal how a casino worker stole nearly $100,000 in chips from Sydney’s largest casino before he was caught.
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It can be revealed for the first time how a casino worker stole more than $90,000 from Sydney’s largest casino.
Justin Ly worked as a gaming supervisor at The Star when he tricked croupiers into handing out tens of thousands of dollars in chips.
Ly, 23, appeared at Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday to be sentenced for 13 counts of fraud by deception.
However, his sentencing was delayed as The Star is still seeking compensation for $83,500 never recovered.
Court documents reveal Ly’s methods for tricking unsuspecting croupiers, over and over again.
As a gaming supervisor he would “manipulate dealers”, according to police facts, into taking a certain amount of chips from the lower to the upper section of his/her float.
Later on in the evening he would falsely tell the dealer a customer had left an amount of chips - usually around $7500 - at the table before going to the bathroom and never returning.
According to the court documents, the so-called customer was his co-accused and on his return from the bathroom, Ly would tell the dealer to pay out the “owed” money in chips.
On August 28, 2019, Ly was overseeing table 25 in the casino, when he carried out his scam.
When the croupier took her break, she told her assistant gaming manager of the suspicious incident.
Later that night, about 1.30am, at table 27, Ly told the same dealer who had previously been on table 25, that a patron had again left $7500 behind.
Ly instructed her to move $5000 in chips from the bottom float up to the top float.
According to court documents, when his co-accused attended the table an hour later, Ly instructed the dealer to issue him the $7500 worth of chips.
The casino began surveillance of Ly and security examined extensive CCTV footage from previous shifts, which revealed ten other incidents.
The next day, on August 29, Ly was on shift and was being live monitored by security.
At around 10.45pm, Ly told a dealer on table three to issue $7000 to his co-accused.
Later that day, Ly was approached by The Star investigators and questioned about the incidents.
On September 5, police seized Ly and his co-accused’s phones.
According to court documents, they found text messages between the two in which they discussed the plan, what tables to attend, Ly’s movements and the values of the chips to be received.
Speaking after an earlier appearance Ly said his gambling addiction drove him to steal the chips.
In January he pleaded guilty to the 13 counts of fraud by deception.
He will be sentenced in April.