GBA cross-border illegal gambling syndicate busted

In a major crackdown on cross-border organized crime, police from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau have arrested 50 people, including a security department officer, for operating an illegal gambling syndicate that accepted over RMB1 billion in bets.

The joint investigation began when Macau police uncovered a money laundering case in November 2022, which led them to discover a criminal group running online gambling operations across the three regions.

Macau police led the charge, arresting 50 people – including key members and kingpins of the operation – in a series of raids across the city on June 29.

The three police forces took action as of last Saturday.”

The Macau police delivered a significant blow to the syndicate’s infrastructure, seizing over RMB10,000 in cash, hundreds of mobile phones, and a trove of computer equipment during their raids.  This was just the beginning, as mainland Chinese authorities went on to arrest 42 additional suspects and seize 92 bank accounts containing RMB22 million in illicit gambling funds.

By working in close collaboration, the police forces of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau were able to dismantle a major illegal gambling operation that had been accepting over RMB1 billion in bets since January 2016. 

The criminal group had been operating websites and servers overseas to take bets on football and basketball events, offering odds higher than legal gambling platforms to attract customers. At the peak of their operations, the syndicate was believed to have accepted peripheral bets worth up to RMB72 yuan per week during the UEFA European Football Championship. Nadia Shaw