Witnesses link Suncity to multiplier bets

Four witnesses have said that the former Macau junket operator may have been linked to another entity handling multiplier bets in some Macau gaming rooms.

Macau.- The Suncity trial in Macau has heard from four witnesses who gave testimony about the link between Suncity and multiplier betting. All four witnesses that appeared yesterday (October 26) said were employed by Tin Commercial Agency, a company headed by Cheong Chi Kin, one of the 21 defendants in the case.

Prosecutors allege that the agency was set up by an illegal gambling syndicate led by former Suncity boss Alvin Chau Cheok Wa. The former employees of Tin Commercial Agency said they did not receive any job guidance from Chau but confirmed they had received periodic “tips” at Suncity Group’s office. All claimed to be unaware of the source of the tips.

Lei Weng Chun, one of the witnesses, said he helped gamblers play multiplier bets and described the relationship between his former employer and Suncity as “mutual assistance”. Weng Chun and Lo Fan Seng said they had brought clients to other VIP rooms in Macau casinos, which were run by other junket operators such as Tak Chun Group or directly managed by the city’s six gaming operators.

However, Lei noted the only money he had received was from Suncity’s accounting department since no money had come from other junket operators or gaming operators.

Chau Cheok Wa has denied accusations that he ran under-the-table betting for high rollers, but Cheong Chi Kin, a former colleague, said the former Suncity Group boss knew about the multiplier betting business. Kin said that it was one of the “hot” gaming techniques in Macau’s gaming industry.

In addition to Chau Cheok Wa, 21 others are being tried at the Court of First Instance, facing charges of illegal gaming, criminal association, fraud, and money laundering. The trial will continue today (October 27).