Marina Bay Sands, a Las Vegas Sands casino in Singapore, has reached a settlement with a former high roller who claimed that, 22 times, the casino transferred his money to the accounts of other patrons without his consent. The transfers, which amounted to SG$9.1 million (US$6.5 million), took place between October and December 2015.
Wang Xi said he was told by MBS that it had received authorization letters signed by him to complete the transfers. He insisted the signatures had been illegally copied and said he didn’t know the recipients of his funds.
He also alleged he was told by MBS that original copies of the letters had since been destroyed for “reasons of confidentiality.” The lawsuit said MBS “failed to verify whether the Disputed Authorization Letters were in fact signed by the plaintiff before effecting the disputed transactions.”
According to Bloomberg, the case was settled out of court and also allows Wang to return to the resort provided he abides by its policies.
The high-profile case was central to an alleged investigation recently launched by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) over potential breaches in anti-money laundering regulations.
A Bloomberg report in June said U.S. prosecutors are investigating possible violations regarding the use of junkets or third-party lending using casino credit, as well as whether there has been any retaliation against whistle blowers.
Marina Bay Sands told Bloomberg that it has not received any requests from the DOJ while Singapore’s Casino Regulatory Authority said it has not been contacted by the DOJ regarding MBS but issued a statement outlining its commitment to “ensuring that the casinos in Singapore, including Marina Bay Sands, remain free from criminal influence or exploitation, and takes a serious view of any allegations of unauthorized money transfers.”
