A street ATM machine downtown started to spit out HKD1,000 bills last night after a customer used it to withdraw three thousand Hong Kong dollars.

Bystanders, including many tourists, eventually turned to the ‘rogue’ ATM picking up the bills from the floor near the machine, and running away with the much unexpected “lay-see”, as some mainlanders referred to the free flow of cash. Most of them went straight to the nearest casino floor with a pile of cash in their hands.

Eventually, the lucky crowd attracted police attention. The agents immediately sealed the area and made several arrests. It is a crime to keep lost valuables in one’s possession. For some however, it was just like another win at the baccarat table.

EDITOR’S NOTE

ATM NOT CRAZY: APRIL’S FOOLING AROUND

As our readers might know by now, the piece of news here above (published on the back page of our Friday edition on April 1, “ATM gone crazy, people pocket thousands”) follows a long-lasting tradition among – but not limited to – journalists – April Fools’ Day.

The “incident” involving a malfunctioning ATM in downtown Macau, which was “revealed” by the Times, didn’t really happen – to our knowledge! – so, no, people didn’t really pocket “a much unexpected lay-see.” Not that we are aware… 😉