A Chinese national learned about a money-making scheme on social media and decided to try it at Marina Bay Sands Casino. His illegal currency exchange business landed him in jail for a week.
Here’s what happened.
The Social Media “Business Lesson”
Qu Hongtao (name transliterated from Mandarin), 44, recently admitted to two charges of violating casino regulations and payment services laws. His accomplice, Bai Debing (name transliterated from Mandarin), 37, has a case still pending in court.
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Court documents revealed that Qu learned about illegal currency exchange services at Singapore casinos through the Chinese social media platform Douyin before entering the country.
He arrived in Singapore on a social visit pass in September 2024 and met with Bai at Marina Bay Sands Casino.
Bai was working in Singapore’s construction sector at the time of the offence. He had previously learned from Chinese websites and friends that people were offering illegal currency exchange services at local casinos for a 1% commission, earning $10 for every $1,000 exchanged.
The Illegal Operation
In August 2024, Bai decided to start his own illegal currency exchange business. He promised Qu a $7 commission for every $1,000 exchanged if Qu referred customers to him. Qu subsequently introduced more than ten customers to Bai, earning between $100 and $200 in total.
The pair also used casino chips for illegal exchanges. After customers transferred Chinese yuan, either Qu or Bai would give them the equivalent amount in Singapore dollars in casino chips.
On 30 October 2024, they committed the offence at least twice within an hour, buying chips for gamblers. One customer, a woman with the surname Wang, transferred Chinese yuan at the casino. Bai then went to the counter to buy chips worth $10,000, which Qu passed to her.
The prosecution argued in court that the accused and his accomplice conspired to profit illegally, openly disregarding Singapore’s laws and disrupting casino operations. They requested a one to two-week jail term for Qu.
In his plea for leniency, Qu said he didn’t understand local laws and promised not to reoffend.
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He added that he had been stuck in Singapore for over five months since the incident without being able to work, and hoped to return to China soon.
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