Macau junket kingpin Levo Chan was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Friday for unlawful gambling, running criminal syndicates, fraud, and money laundering.
Earlier, in a final statement to the court, a tearful Chan apologized to workers at the now-defunct Tak Chun Group and denied the company was a “triad” organization.
Until his arrest in January 2022, Chan was the head of Tak Chun, the second-biggest player in Macau’s multibillion-dollar junket sector. That made him one of the most powerful people in the gambling enclave. In January 2023, Alvin Chau, head of Macau’s biggest junket, Suncity, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on similar charges.
Their arrests signified that the politburo in Beijing had finally run out of patience with Macau’s junket industry, which it blames for facilitating cross-border gambling, capital flight, and money laundering,
Earlier, in a final statement to the court, a tearful Chan apologized to workers at the now-defunct Tak Chun Group and denied the company was a “triad” organization.
Until his arrest in January 2022, Chan was the head of Tak Chun, the second-biggest player in Macau’s multibillion-dollar junket sector. That made him one of the most powerful people in the gambling enclave. In January 2023, Alvin Chau, head of Macau’s biggest junket, Suncity, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on similar charges.
Their arrests signified that the politburo in Beijing had finally run out of patience with Macau’s junket industry, which it blames for facilitating cross-border gambling, capital flight, and money laundering,