JUNKET WOES | Dore ‘investors’ deliver petition to government

“Just as parents never refuse help to their children when they are in trouble, the gov’t should help us get back our money”,
Protesters’ spokesperson

Several residents involved in an “investment” scheme related to Dore Entertainment delivered a complaint letter to the Secretariat for Economy and Finance last Friday afternoon. The group, who held a silent demonstration in front of the Government Headquarters, displayed banners that called for help from the MSAR authorities to “get back their savings,” which reportedly had been given to Dore with the prospect of earning higher interest.
A representative of the group of seventeen people presented a petition to be delivered to Secretary Lionel Leong, urging for government action.
After the letter’s delivery, a group spokesperson shared with journalists her deep disappointment about the government’s inactivity. “The Macau government is not helping us! Just as parents never refuse to help their children when they are in trouble, the government should help us as well to get our money back,” she said, adding, “The government cannot just let the case continue like this without taking any responsibility. They should care for us.”
This demonstration comes in the wake of another protest last Thursday when the same group gathered outside Wynn Macau, where Dore operates most of their VIP rooms. At that time, the bar bending workers’ association joined them, urging the government to help them get their investments back.
The protesters claim that Dore Entertainment is rejecting withdrawals from deposit accounts placed with the company.
On Dore Entertainment’s side, they have released a statement indicating that a former cage staff member has allegedly abused her authority, conducting unauthorized business for which the company cannot be accountable.
According to TDM, citing Judiciary Police figures, the number of complaints related to the Dore case has risen to 43. The complainants claim that the total amount stolen from them amounts to HKD440 million. RM

Neptune Group reportedly loses HKD1 billion

After a month of complications in Macau’s VIP gaming sector, junket operator Neptune Group has stated that a loss of approximately HKD1 billion might force it to shut down its local operations.
Hit by a recent fraud scandal and subsequent loss of credibility involving junket Dore Entertainment, the VIP gaming promoter announced heavy losses for the financial year that ended in June.
In its annual results report, Neptune Group blames the “spectacular slowdown in the Macau VIP gaming industry as a whole.”
The same results report also shows that the Group lost almost HKD350 million in unsettled gamblers’ debts, causing the company’s gaming revenue to drop by a third.
These results are a downturn for the junket, which in the previous financial year had reported a profit of HKD515 million.
Neptune Group, which has already closed a VIP room at StarWorld hotel, admits now the possibility of a complete shutdown in their local operations.
In a statement issued last Saturday, the junket says that it is considering how to restabilize amidst “unsettling challenges” and “difficult circumstances.”
At the same time, a Hong Kong court last Thursday postponed until 24 March the trial of Cheung Chi Tai, a former major shareholder in Neptune Group, on accusations of money laundering.