The judicial authorities of Macau are focused on closing the case associated with the ex-chief executive officer and founder of Suncity Group – Alvin Chau. The hearing of the final arguments of the prosecution and defendants is now scheduled for November 21st, 2022.
Reportedly, it seems like the judge responsible for the criminal proceedings against Mr. Chau and 20 other defendants is willing to close the case as soon as possible.
Apart from the defendants, there are more witnesses and testimonies to be heard but the judge has already scheduled the final phase of the legal action, which includes the hearing of both sides’ last arguments, to take place in only a couple of weeks, on November 21st. So far, the court has heard a total of 92 individuals linked to the Suncity Group case.
As previously reported by CasinoGamesPro, the legal action has been associated with the side-betting schemes that, according to allegations, used to take place at the casino operator and connected junket operators.
So far, the hearings revealed that a side-betting system, called the Opsman System, really existed at Suncity Group. According to allegations, the scheme was established with the assistance of an IT company originating from mainland China. The side-betting system was commissioned and organized by Cheong Chi Kin, a junket agent, who was close to Mr. Chau at the time. At the time he gave testimony in court, Mr. Cheong made claims that separate entities were engaged in the operation of the Opsman system, which was also not linked to the gambling operator.
Macau Government Initiates Regulatory Crackdown against Controversial Junket Operators
All casino operators in Macau except Melco Resorts are currently constituted as plaintiffs in the case. The companies have demanded that the court hears more testimonies on the issue, as allegedly, more than $250 million have been lost by the five concessionaires because of the foul side-betting practices operated by Suncity Group and other junkets in the region.
The Government of the special administrative region (SAR) of Macau also seems to have suffered a significant monetary loss because of the illegal gambling services of the Suncity Group and the other junket operators.
According to a 224-page long indictment, the illegal side-betting operations offered by junkets and the Suncity Group cost approximately $1 billion in tax revenue in the period from 2013 to 2021. The losses came as a result of unlawful side-betting practices, as part of which a pretty large part of the gambling revenue effectively remained hidden, which also means it remained untaxed. According to revelations made in the course of the lawsuit involving Alvin Chau, side-betting was a pretty common practice in VIP rooms of Macau casinos.
As CasinoGamesPro previously reported, the arrest of Mr. Chau took place a year ago, in November 2021. A major scandal also erupted and led to a massive crackdown on junkets operating in the special administrative region of Macau. The local Government initiated major changes to the SAR’s gambling regulations, which pretty much resulted in eradicating so-called VIP rooms and operations offered by junkets.
