Suncity-linked online gambling sees RMB300 billion bets placed in China

Former junket mogul Alvin Chau’s betting volume of domestic online gambling players reached more than RMB300 billion throughout China.

The Chinese media outlet, CCTV, yesterday disclosed the details of the cross-border gambling criminal syndicate case of former boss of the former casino intermediary, Suncity.

Data seized by authorities show that online gambling from 2015 to 2019, involving the betting volume of domestic gamblers, was more than RMB300 billion; the amount of gambled money won in the country was more than RMB8.7 billion.

After trial in January last year, it was found that there was a large scale of criminal gambling group links to Suncity which had been operating since 2007.

The defunct junket contracted gambling halls in casinos in Macau and other places and began to open multiple online gambling platforms in the Philippines and other places in 2015 for gambling activities.

To make huge profits, commissions and dividends were used as bait to induce others to serve as agents.

Through these agents, Suncity organized and recruited Chinese citizens within the country to go to Suncity casinos to participate in gambling or cross-border online gambling.

Its scale requirements for domestic gambling agents were that if each agent bought shares in Suncity, the investment amount was HKD5 million, and the monthly transcoding volume, that is, the required target was HKD50 million. 

It successfully recruited 283 Chinese shareholder agents, according to CCTV.

Also, it was reported that the group set up companies in China provide agents and gamblers with assets in exchange for gambling credit, chips and other services, and to recover gambling debts.

To avoid supervision and crackdowns, it also used illegal channels such as underground banks to receive and settle gambling funds. 

In addition, the criminal group also set up or provided technical support or services such as gambler management, vehicle transportation, publicity and promotion through companies in China, helping to conceal the entire criminal network.

This cross-border gambling criminal group also violated national regulations, fabricated transaction agreements and made multiple cross-border cash payments totaling more than RMB1.16 billion, making illegal profits of more than RMB17 million.

Dubbed the junket king, Chau was convicted in January 2023 of around 290 criminal offenses, involving non-legal gambling and organized crime.

He was found guilty and convicted to spend up to 18 years in prison and ordered to pay over HKD8.6 billion in compensation to five gaming concessionaires and the Macau government.

However, the court increased the compensation sum Chau and the other suspects are required to pay to the Macau government for illegal gaming crimes and money laundering, which has come to almost HKD25 billion.

Chau has made headlines as his arrest comes after the Chinese government’s crackdown on money being moved out of the mainland.