In Australia, a high-roller who had been on a losing streak has reportedly pled guilty before the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court to brazenly stealing gambling chips from the Crown Casino And Entertainment Complex worth approximately $95,600.

According to a report from the local Herald Sun newspaper, 38-year-old Gunawan Akay was alleged to have grabbed 25 chips each valued at about $3,860 from a baccarat table in the Victoria casino’s exclusive Maple Room on December 23 before running for the doors.

“This hand came over and I looked up,” read a witness statement from the wronged baccarat dealer. “The chips went and I screamed. They have obviously seen a weak moment.”

The newspaper reported that Akay successfully made it outside with his pilfered chips and subsequently fled the 17 miles to his home in the Melbourne suburb of Caroline Springs but was soon identified via the casino’s security cameras. The gambler, who had been a gold-class member at the Crown Casino And Entertainment Complex and had allegedly lost thousands of dollars just before the theft, was arrested four days later after agreeing to meet with detectives from the Melbourne Criminal Investigation Unit.

Akay, who is reportedly in Australia on a visa, was formally charged on December 29 while his lawyer, George Balot, told the court that the defendant wanted to resolve the case as soon as possible.

“Today the informant showed me portions of the CCTV [and] it is of very high quality,” Balot told the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in late-December. “There is no point dragging him through the system. It’s obviously going to resolve. [The video] is the central piece of evidence.”

Friday saw Akay, who had been ordered to stay away from the casino owned by Crown Resorts Limited, admit the theft and as a result he was subsequently bailed to appear at a sentencing hearing in July.