On the second day after the new Law on Illegal Gambling Activities officially took effect, the Judiciary Police arrested two suspects from mainland China for operating as money exchangers at a casino in Cotai, charged with ‘illegal currency exchange for gambling purposes’.
The Judiciary Police reported that they proactively conducted checks and found a man and a woman engaged in money exchange with gamblers in the smoking area of the casino.
Upon approaching them, the police searched the suspects and seized over HK$51,000 ($6,560) in cash chips, along with evidence of their operations, indicating sufficient grounds to charge them with ‘operating illegal currency exchange for gambling.’ The case will be transferred to the public prosecutor’s office for further investigation.
The Judiciary Police emphasized that the act of ‘money exchanging’ has been explicitly categorized as a criminal offense. Providing currency exchange services in casinos or surrounding facilities is presumed to be for gambling purposes and is, therefore, illegal.
The Law on Illegal Gambling Activities took effect on Tuesday (October 29) and includes improvements to legislation related to gambling, as well as measures to curb unauthorized lucky gambling activities. Among its provisions, ‘operating illegal currency exchange for gambling purposes” specifically targets “money exchangers,’ criminalizing such actions with penalties of up to five years in prison for violators.
