ShareThe gambling Mecca of Macau has been rocked by the arrest of a leading casino boss in the latest crackdown by authorities, Levo Chan Weng Lin allegedly involved in illegal gambling and money laundering, with more than $500k seized in the arrest.
Macau’s Judiciary Police (PJ) “successfully intercepted” Chan and another suspect – believed to be “Billy” Choi Wai Chan – at a hotel in the NAPE area on Friday.
The pair, who reportedly refused to cooperate or answer questions, have been charged with “criminal organization, illegal gambling including online gambling and ‘betting under the table’ according to press reports.
Computers, servers and other equipment, as well as documents and HK$4.1 million (US$525k) in cash were confiscated after a search of a workplace and residence in NAPE.
Chan and Choi’s detention mirror that of the infamous “junket king”, SunCity CEO Alvin Chau, who was arrested late last year on similar charges.
With Macau being a special administrative region of China, it has recently come under the gaze of the Chinese authorities who are enforcing President Xi Jinping’s anti-gambling policy.
That puts people like Mr Chan, the CEO of Macau Legend Development, firmly in the spotlight as Macau's Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau coordinates with police to target those they suspect of breaching the strict gaming regulations.
As well as being CEO, Chan is the major shareholder in the group that owns three casinos in Macau – the Babylon, Landmark Macau, and Legend Palace.
However, it is his connection as chairman of the Tak Chun Group, which organises junkets for wealthy gamblers, many from mainland China, that is behind his arrest this week.
A statement by Macau Legend Development to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange distanced the group from Mr Chan’s arrest:
“The Board is of the view that as the Group is operated by a team of management personnel and the above incident relates to the personal affairs of Mr Chan and not related to the Group.”
Although shares in MLD plummeted by nearly 30% on the news of Chan’s arrest, the statement continued: “The Board does not expect the above incident to have a material adverse impact on the daily operations of the Group.”
Police believe they can link Chan and Choi’s alleged criminal activity to that of Chau. A JP spokesperson stated: “There is sufficient evidence, according to our investigation, to show that these crime syndicates have jointly engaged in the alleged crimes.”
Chan has since been transferred to the Correctional Services Bureau’s prison facility at Coloane in Macau, said Macau’s public broadcaster TDM.
