Underground Gambling Sites Arrested in Hong Kong

Police in Hong Kong have detained 48 suspects after raids on gambling dens run by triads.

The two-day operation saw the demolition of two illegal sites in Tai Po and Sheung Shui, Hong Kong, two regions of the new territories.

Police detained 34 men and 14 women aged 17 to 65 who confiscated mahjong tables, arcade machines, currency, poker chips and illicit drugs.

Meanwhile, over half of the perpetrators incurred fines for breaking laws that prohibited more than two individuals from meeting during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The venues posed a risk of transmitting the coronavirus because of poor ventilation and hygiene. It is irresponsible for them to set up such illegal gambling dens or drug dens,”

-said Johnson Chong Shing-yat, Tai Po Assistant District Commander.

The arrests came only a day after Hong Kong police shut down an illegal casino in the Tsim Sha Tsui shopping district for wealthy gamblers.

A total of 16 people have been arrested including a barrister and four directors of the firm. Police also confiscated HK$24m in poker chips (US$3m), and HK$215,000 in cash.

A police source said:

“A single bet involving more than HK$100,000 was placed on a Baccarat game. We believe its daily turnover reached up to HK$10 million, and the gang could pocket HK$1 million per night.”

The casino gang supposedly spent over HK$130,000 a month renting the penthouse in The Masterpiece, a high-end residential block consisting of 345 luxurious apartments, a shopping center and a and a Hyatt Regency hotel in a attempt to avoid drawing scrutiny from police.