Taiwan's Yunlin District Prosecutors Office on Monday filed charges against 20 people for violating the "Anti-Money Laundering Act," accusing them of laundering over 33 billion New Taiwan Dollars (approximately 1.03 billion US dollars) through Macau casinos. The prosecutors stated that this is Taiwan's first cross-border casino money laundering case. The gang made illegal profits through online gambling platforms and then "laundered" the funds through VIP rooms in casinos. In plain terms, the casino acted as a "laundering pool" for dirty money. Want to keep up with the latest developments in Asian gambling money laundering cases? Follow PASA's official website continuously.
Money laundering method: Buy chips with high-value gambling cards, hardly gamble and then cash out
The investigation revealed that the gang deposited illegal gambling funds into designated "straw man" credit accounts, from which they used high-value gambling cards to purchase casino chips in Macau. Interestingly, these individuals hardly participated in gambling but directly exchanged the chips for Hong Kong dollars—the main currency in Macau casinos—or handed them over to accomplices in Macau. Through this method, the illicit funds were successfully "laundered" into legitimate casino funds. The prosecutors pointed out that the gang's operations were extremely covert, utilizing the credit system of casino VIP rooms to evade regulation.
Case background: Former police officer as the mastermind, iGaming platform as the source
According to local media, the gang is associated with "Jinzhou Entertainment City," which operates an online gambling platform targeting players from Taiwan, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Online gambling is illegal in Taiwan and Cambodia and is strictly regulated in Vietnam. The main suspects, surnamed Chen and Lin, are currently at large, and the prosecutors have issued arrest warrants valid for 20 years. More astonishingly, the Taichung District Prosecutors Office had pointed out that Mr. Lin, formerly the "Chief of the Taichung City Criminal Police Brigade," used his position to participate in laundering about 1.4 million US dollars from 2021 to 2024.
Law enforcement stance: Continuously combat money laundering channels
Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau stated in a declaration that the police will continue to combat money laundering channels, enhance technological investigative capabilities, and cooperate with international judicial authorities to fully protect public property safety and maintain a secure environment. Want to keep up with the latest developments in Asian gambling money laundering cases? Follow PASA's official website continuously.
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