Macao Court Sentences Junket Operator Alvin Chau To 18 Years Imprisonment

The founder of Macao’s once-biggest casino junket organizer was sentenced Wednesday to 18 years in prison after being convicted of operating illegal gaming activities, running a criminal organization, and numerous other charges, Kanis Leung reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Photo Insert: Alvin Chau (second from left), during an awarding ceremony for the Macau Grand Prix back in 2017

Alvin Chau, former chairman of Suncity Group, was arrested in November 2021 on a warrant based on accusations that he ran an illegal cross-border gambling syndicate with others.

Macao is the only place in China where casinos are legal, and junket operators such as Suncity were a key part of its gaming industry. They helped facilitate gambling for high rollers outside the former Portuguese colony, including arranging travel services and extending credit for them.

Macao prosecutors accused Chau and some co-defendants of running a syndicate that caused a loss of about $1 billion in tax revenue to the city’s government between 2013 and 2021.

They were alleged to have made illegitimate profits through operating side-betting activities. Chau faced nearly 290 charges in one of the gambling hub’s biggest criminal cases in years.

In handing down the verdict, the judge noted that Chau’s defense lawyer tried to prove Chau had not participated in the side-betting activities but she concluded such operations would not have been possible without Chau’s approval.

The court ordered Chau and some co-defendants to pay the government $830 million and financially compensate various casino operators.

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