Proxy gambling ring busted in Macau

Proxy gambling, where punters present in a land casino and in contact with gamblers elsewhere make bets for them, has been banned in Macau since mid-2016 (see previous reports) but that has not stamped out the now criminal activity it seems.

Over the weekend the publication GGR Asia quoted a Macau police report that during a raid on an apartment in connection with a separate issue, police officers became suspicious that illegal proxy gambling may have been facilitated.

They confiscated computer and mobile phone evidence which on analysis indicated that a sophisticated proxy gambling operation had been uncovered, leading to the arrest of seven Chinese nationals.

Members of the gang had various responsibilities; some would be on the casino floor reporting and making VIP baccarat bets on behalf of the ring’s estimated 40 clients in mainland China whilst others in the city apartment conducted communications via WeChat and another team handled accounts and collections.

The gang charged commissions on the bets they placed for the remote punters, and is believed to have handled around US$1.3 million in bets over a period of a month.

A police spokesman told GGR Asia:

“According to the evidence we collected, we estimated that this gang had had – on average – at least 40 gamblers that placed bets with them on a daily basis. Through the messenger [WeChat] on mobile phones, they communicated with the gamblers and for each game gave them about 70 seconds to place the bets.

“The suspects were very well-organised in splitting their tasks. Everyone had their own position: for instance, the first and the sixth suspect were responsible for handling accounting via the computer, and controlled the wagering of their accomplices in the casino. The second and third suspects were mainly responsible for collecting the bets from the [WeChat] group members.

“One of their selling points is that the suspects told gamblers the money they wagered was on actual baccarat games in Macau, and they did send two to three members to gamble here and report the results of each game immediately via text in their Wechat group,”

The remote punters could make bets upwards of US$39 with no restrictions on the maximum bets the ring was prepared to accept. Police declined to identify the casino/s involved, saying that investigations are still ongoing.

https://www.ggrasia.com/arrests-on-alleged-illegal-bets-tied-to-macau-vip-casino-play/