Macau junket boss gets 14 years’ jail after HK$1.5 billion raked in through illegal gambling in VIP rooms
- Levo Chan, a former chairman and executive director of entertainment firm Tak Chun Group, among five jailed in junket crackdown
- Defendants also ordered to hand over total of HK$709 million in government taxes and lost commission to casinos
The former boss of Macau’s second biggest casino VIP room operator has been jailed for 14 years in the gambling hub after he was convicted of 34 charges of fraud, illegal gambling and criminal association related to HK$1.5 billion (US$191 million) in off-the-books junket operations.
Macau media reported Levo Chan Weng-lin, a former chairman and executive director of entertainment firm Tak Chun Group, was among five accused found guilty at the city’s Court of First Instance on Friday after a five-month trial.
The casino junket boss, who faced 83 charges, was convicted on 24 counts of unauthorised gambling operations in licensed places for running and promoting side betting in VIP rooms set up by the company in various Macau establishments.
Lam Peng-fai, who headed a panel of judges, said the side betting operation was supported by evidence found in Tak Chun’s computers and documents.
Out of 650,000 betting records found in the company’s server, Lam was quoted saying in local media reports, more than 3,400 involved side betting that generated illegal gains of about HK$1.5 billion.