A local man was arrested this week for illegally operating a mahjong parlour on the mezzanine floor of a restaurant in the northern district and 16 local gamblers who were there when the police raided the place were taken in for questioning, Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Cheong Heon Fan said at a regular press conference on Wednesday.
The 61-year-old jobless suspect surnamed Sam told the police that he’s the “person-in-charge” of the mahjong parlour. Sixteen gamblers – three men and thirteen women, aged between 30 and 66, were taken to a police station for questioning.
According to Cheong, PSP officers received a report from a resident on Monday at about 12:30 p.m. that someone was illegally running a mahjong parlour in Rua do Canal Novo. PSP officers arrived at the address given and found a restaurant on the ground floor. A restaurant staff member told the police that the mezzanine floor was rented out separately and even had a separate entrance.
Cheung said PSP officers took a separate staircase to reach the mezzanine floor where they discovered three automatic mahjong tables and 17 people. While 12 people were playing mahjong, four were watching the games. The suspect surnamed Sam was also there.
Under questioning, Sam told the police that he was renting the place for 15,000 patacas per month and he had been operating the parlour for two months. The gamblers told the police that they paid Sam 100 patacas per table per hour.
Sam and the 16 gamblers were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) on Monday for further investigation. Sam faces a charge of running an illegal gambling business.
According to Macau’s gaming legislation, commercial mahjong businesses can only be run by the city’s gaming concession or subconcession operators.
This undated handout photo provided by the Public Security Police (PSP) on Wednesday shows evidence seized from the suspect such as three automatic mahjong tables and mahjong tiles.
This handout photo provided by the Public Security Police (PSP) on Wednesday shows PSP officers escorting the 17 suspects to the PSP headquarters in Zape on Monday.
