News HomeMost Read News
Alvin Chau Gets Sentenced to 18 Years
China has been going through a tough period which is especially visible in the casino industry as the Macau region bases its economy on the operation of casinos. The government has been cracking down on cross-border gaming and has been pretty successful in that.
Alvin Chau, the founder of Suncity Group has been arrested and sentenced to 18 years in prison. He’s been charged with money laundering and providing illegal betting services. He was the Junket King for a long time and now he’s been dethroned.
One of the Top Junkets in China Sent to Jail
As mentioned before, the Macau region bases most of its economy on the operation of casinos. That’s why when Xi Jinping was reelected he decided to take a different approach when it comes to the economy of the region.
Only a few casino brands got licenses to operate and they were also given an additional condition. This condition was to start with operations that aren’t related to casinos in any way and all of them accepted. To battle the rising tide of crime such as cross-border gaming and illegal betting the government started cracking down on crime.
And that left a dent because Alvin Chau, the chairman, and owner of Suncity Group had been arrested. He’s been sentenced for undeclared bets and damaging the Chinese government with HK $8.26 billion in tax revenue. He was the Junket King as he organized trips for wealthy Chinese businessmen to Macau and helped them by offering loans, VIP rooms, and more.
The court acquitted Chau of money laundering as there was no evidence to support this claim. But the court found him guilty of creating and leading a syndicate that facilitated illegal betting. That’s why Alvin Chau is now sentenced to 18 years in prison.
This shows you just how effective the Chinese government is when it comes to cracking down on illegal gaming operations. Alvin has relinquished his position as Suncity Group chairman and won’t likely be returning to the company after the sentence. Rules were made for a reason.
Conclusion
Similar to the gaming scandal of Australian casino brands, China has some high rollers of its own to take care of. Alvin Chau was arrested and sentenced to 18 years because of his illegal behavior. This goes to show that even top casino brands may be going illegal to earn extra profit.
