Fraudster planned to use his own chips in casino

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - A British man who planned to defraud a casino chain by manufacturing his own cash chips has been jailed for 18 months.

Augustin Dago placed orders with companies around the world, including in Holland and China, for chips in 25-pound ($36) denominations, and sent them pictures of the types of tokens he required.

Dago, who told them he had a casino in his basement, was caught after a manufacturer recognized the chips as belonging to Gala casinos and reported the order to the Gala Coral Group.

"This was a calculated attempt to commit fraud against one of the major gaming groups in the UK," said Detective Inspector Ann Marie Waller of London's Metropolitan Police.

"Due to the quick thinking of both the chip manufacturer and Gala Coral Group Limited, Augustin Dago was stopped from circulating counterfeit casino cash chips."

Dago, 20, who was jailed at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday after admitting fraud charges, had planned to cash in the chips at Gala casinos across Britain and then launder the money he had made through bank accounts he had opened in a false name.

(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Steve Addison)