Macau casino junket magnate to await trial behind bars after being deemed flight risk in cross-border gambling, money-laundering case
- Alvin Chau and 10 others stand accused of being part of syndicate that facilitated gambling in mainland China
- The ring is said to have set up an illegal betting platform in the Philippines that allowed Chinese gamblers to place bets online
The head of Macau’s biggest casino junket operator will await trial behind bars after he was deemed a flight risk following his arrest, along with 10 others, over illegal cross-border gambling and money-laundering activities.
Alvin Chau Cheok-wa, 47 – the founder and CEO of the Hong Kong-listed Suncity Group – was placed in compulsory detention with four other suspects over the alleged offences, which are punishable by up to 12 years in prison, according to Macau’s Public Prosecutions Office.
The remaining six suspects have been released on bail, but are barred from leaving the casino hub, and must regularly report to authorities.
The compulsory detention order was revealed in a statement issued on Monday night that also gave details of the alleged operations of the Macau-based criminal gang.
According to the prosecutors’ office, the syndicate – which Chau stands accused of leading – set up an illegal betting platform in the Philippines featuring live video feeds of casino games that allowed mainland gamblers to place bets online, often for large amounts of money.
“The group used the bank accounts of companies in Macau to funnel illicit funds through underground banks,” the prosecutors’ statement said.
An initial investigation indicated members of the syndicate were involved in four offences: offering illegal gambling, money laundering, leading a criminal syndicate and being a member of a criminal group.
In Macau, being a leader of a criminal syndicate carries a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison, and being a member of a criminal gang is punishable by up to 10 years. Money laundering carries a maximum penalty of eight years, and offering illegal gambling is punishable by up to three.