The two individuals said to be the masterminds of a criminal bookmaking syndicate have been remanded in custody by Macau’s Procuratorate (MP) until the commencement of their trial, while compulsory measures have been imposed on 57 others.
Authorities in Macau, mainland China and Hong Kong arrested a total of 93 people in a joint crackdown on 1 July, of which 50 – including the two masterminds – were local suspects. On Friday, the MP announced that the number of suspects in the case had increased to 59 – all and charged them with “criminal syndicate” and “illegal gambling”. The “criminal syndicate” charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The MP has also imposed compulsory measures on the 59 suspects in the case. Of those, 57 have been subjected to compulsory measures such as providing recognizance, reporting to the court regularly and being prohibited from leaving Macau, while the other two suspects – believed to be the masterminds of the syndicates – have been remanded in custody until the commencement of the trial.
The case is the largest offshore betting case in Macau in recent years. The Macau police pointed out on that the syndicate had received more than MOP$72 million (US$8.9 million) in offshore bets every week during the Euro 2024 championships, while it is estimated that the syndicate had received MOP$1.08 billion (US$134 million) in bets since it began in 2016.
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