China sentences man to six years in prison for organising gambling tours to Macau
A man has been sentenced to six years imprisonment by China’s Supreme People’s Court for running an operation that organised mainland citizens to gamble in Macau. As per the top court, the man, surnamed Ng, had been arranging such tours as an agent since 2005.
The court announced six gambling crime cases involving the operation of “underground Mark Six Lottery,” “underground gambling in rural areas,” and “illegal online gambling” in the mainland. One of the cases involved Ng, who opened an account with Macau casinos and solicited citizens from the mainland to gamble.
As per a report, the convict, Ng X Pan, started running the illegal gambling operation in 2005 when he would reach out to players personally, via telephone, word-of-mouth, or by meeting interested parties face-to-face. He also set up a team to accompany players he found to chase settlement and other logistical services to mainland nationals who came to Macau to gamble.
Until August 2022, when mainland law enforcement uncovered the case, the gambling syndicate operated by Ng had accumulated approximately RMB 300 million $41.2 million), as informed by investigators and evidence presented during his trial.
While Ng was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment as the central figure of the team, the other team members were sentenced to between two-and-a-half and three years’ imprisonment, along with fines of various amounts. The top court said the man “should be given severe punishment, as his actions resulted in significant capital outflow.”
It also stressed the need for courts across the country to actively fight against cross-border gambling syndicates and clearly cut their financial networks.
The Supreme People’s Court said, “The problem of offshore casinos recruiting gamblers [from China] has become increasingly prominent, giving rise to related professionalised criminal gangs that organise outbound gambling in the name of tourism and provide services such as escorting, settlement, and logistical support, which have gradually resulted in the transnationalisation of gambling activities, diversification of behaviours and concealment of the outward flow of gambling proceeds.”
As per a local gaming industry analysis, Ng has been engaged in similar gaming intermediary activities for 17 years, but with a current account of only RMB300 million, it is believed he belongs to a relatively small-scale gaming intermediary.
On 21 January 2025, China’s Supreme People’s Court again issued a directive urging courts nationwide to maintain strict penalties for those who organise cross-border gambling. This campaign, characterised by severe punishment and public awareness efforts, aims to dismantle gambling syndicates and the crimes associated with them, such as fraud, extortion, and violence. The campaign is part of a broader regional strategy involving ASEAN nations and reflects China’s commitment to eradicating illegal gambling operations.
Earlier in March 2021, China had made changes to its criminal law to include cross-border gambling, with no set time limit for recovering related funds. This shows that China is taking a strong stance against gambling activities.
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