‘Social media influencer Bui Yee-lam among 7 Hongkongers arrested for allegedly promoting gambling sites accepting bets on World Cup matches’
- Post learns Bui Yee-lam, 28, was detained when crime-squad officers raided her Yuen Long flat
- Police source says officers were investigating whether suspects were hired by the same gang
A Hong Kong actress is among seven social media influencers who were arrested on suspicion of using online platforms to promote overseas gambling websites that accept bets on World Cup football matches, police have revealed.
The Post on Monday learned that actress Bui Yee-lam, 28, also known as Chantale Belle or Bui Yee on her social media accounts, was detained when crime-squad officers raided her flat in Yuen Long on Sunday.
The other six suspects, also women, included a beautician, while the remaining were unemployed, according to the force.
The seven local residents were detained on suspicion of promoting bookmaking – an offence that is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a HK$5 million (US$640,000) fine under the Gambling Ordinance.
Chief Inspector Chan Ka-ying of the New Territories South regional crime unit said police had noticed some social media influencers were allegedly promoting illegal gambling websites on their online accounts recently.
She said the investigation led officers to identify seven social media influencers in the city, including one who had used photographs of someone else to attract followers.
Between Monday and Sunday last week, officers arrested the seven women aged between 20 and 30 in a series of raids in Mong Kok, Tsuen Wan, Tseung Kwan O, Wan Chai and Yuen Long.
During the operation, officers seized seven mobile phones, a computer tablet and a laptop.
Police confiscated 76 electronic smoking devices in one of the flats in Tsuen Wan where a 21-year-old suspect was living.
Hong Kong police arrest 48 in crackdown on illegal gambling syndicate
“We believe that because of their online influence, criminals offered monetary rewards to lure them into promoting illegal gambling websites and attracting punters through their social media platforms,” Chan said.
A police source said one of the suspects had more than 100,000 followers, while others also had tens of thousands of followers each.
Bui has more than 220,000 followers on Instagram. She starred in To Love or Not to Love in 2017, Delete My Love and I Sell Love in 2014, and has also appeared in TV and online shows in recent years.
He said the gambling websites the suspects allegedly promoted accepted bets on World Cup football matches and horse racing, adding one of them was based in the Philippines.
The websites also provided a variety of games such as baccarat and blackjack as well as dice, he said.
The source explained the investigation suggested the seven women did not know each other and officers were investigating whether the suspects were hired by the same gang.
According to the force, the seven women had been released on bail, pending further investigation.
Hong Kong social media influencer held for illegal gambling, promoting bookmaking
Chief Inspector Chan stressed police would strengthen law enforcement against bookmaking and illegal gambling activities during the World Cup tournament.
In a separate anti-gambling operation, officers from the Kowloon East anti-triad squad arrested a 37-year-old man and seized HK$1.5 million in football betting records along with HK$28,000 in cash, as well as electronic devices, in an industrial unit in Tsuen Wan last Wednesday.
In February, police arrested a cosmetics businesswoman and social media influencer accused of gambling illegally at an online casino and promoting bookmaking.
So Mei-yan, also known as Cry So or So Miu-miu on her social media accounts, was accused of sharing her activities on a foreign gambling website online. Gambling in an illegal establishment carries a maximum penalty of nine months in jail and a HK$30,000 fine.
So, who posted pictures of her lavish lifestyle on social media, made headlines in November 2020 when she became the victim of a robbery. Her Facebook account shows she has 27,333 followers.
The social media influencer, along with her six-month-old son and a domestic helper, was tied up when three men broke into her Cheung Sha Wan home in the daylight hold-up. The trio fled with valuables.
On the day of the raid, police said the stolen property was estimated to be worth HK$3.6 million.
Police announced the arrest of nine suspects in December 2020 and said the victim had claimed the valuables were worth more than HK$10 million.
