China issues warrant for Suncity boss over illegal gambling

Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Alvin Chau, the head of Macao’s biggest junket organizer, over accusations that he helped run an illegal cross-border gambling syndicate. Authorities say they have been investigating the case since July last year, and that the gambling syndicate had over 12,000 agents that promoted its gambling operations and more than 80,000 gamblers in its network. In a statement, authorities said the syndicate “severely damaged the social order of the country” and they urged Chau to turn himself in, in exchange for a more lenient punishment. Casinos and most forms of gambling are illegal in mainland China, and Macao is the only Chinese city allowed to operate a casino.