Thai individual cheated at dice with Sewed magnets into fingertips

The Wiwat X-ray Clinic-Lab’s Dr. Wat Lun reported that the man, who had two tightly embedded magnets in his left hand’s middle and ring fingers, came to him for their removal because he was concerned that they might trigger airport security during his flight.

Dr. Lun’s social media post-operation photos of the man’s fingers, along with a picture of the two dark magnets, which were about the size of fingernails and placed on a piece of gauze, have become viral in Thailand.

The man admitted that he had implanted the magnets in his fingers 40 years ago to cheat at the dice game called hi-lo in Thailand and sic-bo or dai siu in other parts of Asia.

He claimed that he used the magnetic fingertips to manipulate the dice, which he had secretly loaded with a small metal piece.

Sic-bo is a Chinese game that involves rolling three dice. Players place bets on specific areas of the table that represent various outcomes of the dice roll, such as the range of the total number (e.g., 1-11 or 11-18) or whether the result will be odd or even.

Sic-bo is a popular game in the casinos of Macau and the Philippines and is also available in numerous US casinos.

While Thailand does not have legal casinos, illegal gambling is widespread. If caught playing dice in an illegal casino, offenders could face up to three years in prison and a fine of 5,000 baht (approximately $150 USD).

Pros and Cons

The concept of using magnets to cheat in gambling is not novel. It is thought that in the past, when slot machines were mechanical and constructed of metal, cheaters employed powerful magnets to control the reels. However, the effectiveness of this method is questionable, and there is little concrete evidence to support it, leading some to believe it is merely a urban legend.

The game of craps originated in 19th century America’s gambling halls and riverboat casinos, based on the European dice game hazard. Many of these establishments were known to be corrupt, but there is evidence indicating that they preferred to use weighted dice instead of magnets to rig their games.