Macau Casino Operators Awarded Compensation After Junket Boss Get Sentenced

Summary:

• Levo Chan Weng Lin was found guilty of multiple charges and was jailed for 14 years
• Four other defendants were handed jail terms of between 7 and 11 years
• US$99.3 million in compensation were awarded to the Macau government and five casino operators

Macau junket mogul Levo Chan Weng Lin (pictured) has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of multiple charges associated with the operations of his former company Tak Chun Group, the second-biggest junket operator in Macau. Nearly US$99.3 million in compensation claims were also awarded to the Macau government and five casino operators in the city.

During his sentencing hearing on April 21, Chan was found guilty of 34 charges relating to criminal association, illicit gambling and fraud. The criminal association conviction alone carried a 10-year jail sentence. Four other defendants in the Tak Chun case also received prison terms of between 7 and 11 years after being convicted of similar charges, while the remaining four defendants were acquitted.

Macau Govt., Five Casino Operators Awarded Compensation

Chan was accused of running a criminal syndicate via the now-defunct Tak Chun Group, profiting at least HKD1.50 billion from the company’s illegal activities which operated for nearly six years. A Macau court ruled that Chan and four other defendants swindled the Macau government and the city’s casino operators through under-the-table bets facilitated by the Tak Chun Group.

Chan and the other convicted defendants were ordered to pay around HKD575.2 million to the Macau government and a further HKD204.5 million to five of the city’s casino operators, with Galaxy Entertainment receiving the biggest compensation of almost HKD81.2 million.

The four other operators that were awarded compensation in the case include Sands China Ltd (nearly HKD47.0 million), Wynn Macau Ltd (HKD36.8 million), SJM Holdings Ltd (HKD35.6 million), and MGM China Holdings Ltd (HKD3.8 million).

Chan was arrested in Macau along with another suspect in January 2022 for illegal gambling operations. Police seized computers, servers, documents, and cash worth HKD4.1 million during the arrests. During the trial which began in December 2022, Chan denied any involvement in illicit operations.

Downfall of Macau Junket Bosses

Chan’s sentencing comes just months after Macau gambling kingpin Alvin Chau was jailed for 18 years on similar charges. Chau founded the scandal-hit and now-defunct junket operator Suncity Group. The downfall of Chau and Suncity ultimately led to the collapse of Macau’s junket industry