Two local men were arrested on Friday for running an illegal Texas Hold’em* gambling operation, along with eight local gamblers allegedly involved in the case, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chao Teng Hin said during a regular press conference yesterday.
The 37-year-old alleged operator surnamed Chan told the police that he is a businessman. His 43-year-old employee is surnamed Wan. There were eight local male gamblers, aged between 30 and 46.
The Judiciary Police received a tipoff that illegal gambling activities were taking place in a residential building in Nape. On Friday evening, the police took action and intercepted Chan and Wan, the latter working for the former as the den’s dealer, as well as eight gamblers in the flat. Among them, seven were participating in the game, while one was watching them gamble. The police seized a large amount of chips, playing cards, a dealing machine, and two gaming tables used in the operation.
Under questioning, Chan told the police that he had been renting the flat for HK$13,000 per month since August 2024 to operate an illegal gambling den. Each gambler placed bets ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 patacas per game. Chan took 5.0 percent of the wagers as “commission”, earning 4,000 to 5,000 patacas per day, with a total income of 400,000 patacas. Wan was employed by Chan to deal cards, earning 500 patacas per day. The gamblers told the police that they had learnt of the den through an online chat group.
The 10 suspects were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) on Saturday. While Chan and Wan are facing charges of running an illegal gambling operation, seven of the eight gamblers are facing charges for participating in illegal gambling. The one who did not participate in gambling is facing a charge of being present at the gambling den.
According to Macau’s gambling law, only gaming concessionaires are allowed to run games of chance as a business.
* Texas Hold’em is one of the most popular variants of poker, a card game that combines strategy, skill, and chance. Its key components are two to 10 players, a standard 52-card deck, the aim being to win chips by having the best five-card hand or by convincing other players to “fold” (quit) their hands. – DeepSeek
This undated and pixilated handout photo provided by the Judiciary Police (PJ) yesterday shows PJ officers watching the 10 suspects at the gambling den before taking them in for questioning.
