China’s Supreme Court has instructed courts nationwide to continue imposing harsh penalties on individuals involved in cross-border gambling crimes, with a particular focus on organizers, ringleaders, and repeat offenders. This directive aims to prevent financial risks and safeguard economic security.
The top court highlighted the growing issue of overseas casinos and online gambling groups targeting Chinese citizens. Such activities can lead to significant outflows of domestic funds and contribute to various other crimes, including kidnapping, illegal detention, fraud, extortion, and money laundering.
In a statement released on Monday, the Supreme Court directed courts across the country to remain vigilant in detecting gambling activities while handling other cases, with the goal of suppressing all criminal activities linked to gambling.
At the same time, the court mentioned the case of Alvin Chau and the Suncity Group as a ‘typical case of cross-border gambling’, noting it resulted in substantial capital outflows from China and caused significant societal harm.
The Supreme Court detailed that Chau operated VIP rooms in multiple Macau casinos and, since 2015, had established several online gambling platforms in the Philippines and other locations. He also recruited stakeholders as agents, who eventually became key figures in the organization.
Alvin Chau, known as the Macau junket king, was arrested in 2021, and he has been sentenced to 18 years in jail for more than 100 charges, including organized crime and illegal gaming.