In eastern China and law enforcement officials have reportedly arrested members of a criminal gang over claims they had been responsible for running an illegal syndicate that helped local people to gamble at casinos in Macau.

According to a report from Inside Asian Gaming, the illicit group operated out of Jiangsu Province and is thought to have encompassed around 18 members including a shadowy leader referred to only as ‘Shi.’

Float fees:

Inside Asian Gaming reported that the unlawful organization is suspected of having provided local punters with accounts and chips they subsequently used to gamble at one of the 39 casinos in Macau. The source detailed that this enterprise had moreover allegedly netted approximately $184 million since 2007 by collecting commissions on these advances of up to 2%.

iGaming involvement:

Located roughly 800 miles north of Macau, Jiangsu Province has a population of over 80 million people and is one of China’s leading centers for finance and technology. The criminal band is also alleged to have been behind an unlawful club-based gambling operation in the port city of Haimen that had allowed locals to wager via the Internet and telephone.

Pricey punishment:

‘Shi’ was first arrested in May of 2018 with police describing his illicit enterprise as a ‘mega organization of offshore gambling’ that had earned the self-defined ‘head of an investment company’ at least $4.7 million. The source explained that the principal was later sentenced to serve 16 years in prison and pay a fine worth in the region of $17.4 million.