Former Sun City Group CEO Alvin Chow sentenced to 18 years in prison

The trial of Alvin Chau, the former head of Sun City Group, has finally ended. A Macau first trial court sentenced Chau, who was in charge of the operator of Macau junkets, to 18 years in prison. He was convicted on many charges.

Chau is the founder of Suncity Group, and he was a pioneer in attracting Chinese tourists to Macau to gamble. Since gambling is illegal in mainland China, he used the opportunity to invite all operators and players to Macau.

Chau will also have to pay a fine of HK$6.5 billion, or about $831 million. The fine will be paid to the Macau government as civil compensation, and the reason for such a fine lies in the income lost due to "behind-the-scenes betting" in Suncity VIP rooms. There are also compensations for five concessions from Wyn Macao, Galaxy Entertainment Group, MGM China, Sands China, and SJM Resorts.

The total amount of about HK$2 billion, or $250 million, was split between the concessions. Win is worth HK$770 million, Galaxy is worth HK$550 million, MGM is worth HK$300 million, SJM is worth HK$290 million, and SJM is worth HK$270 million.

Official Judgment:

The verdict was announced on Wednesday morning, about four months after the trial began. Twenty-one people were included during the trial.

Commenting on Chow's casino leadership, Judge Lu Ying-ha said he had "been gambling illegally for illegal gain for a long time."

Macau judicial police have arrested Chau and 10 more people on charges of criminal links, money laundering and involvement in illegal gambling. One in six is awaiting trial at Coloane prison. The trial began in late November 2021.

In early December 2021, shortly after Chow's arrest, the company announced a suspension of its junket business. At the same time, Chow stepped down from his position.

Suncity Group is a major player in the industry with a notable interest in the development of various integrated resorts in critical markets such as Vietnam, Russia, and the Philippines.

After the arrest, prosecutors charged Chow with 229 counts of illegal gambling and 54 counts of substantial fraud. There are also charges of criminal connection, illegal gambling, and money laundering.

Rest of the questions:

The list of accusations does not stop there: Chau also made a profit of about $21.5 billion, or $2.67 billion. The origin of the money lies in the "behind the scenes" act. He also defrauded the government and concessionaires.

The lawyer acknowledged the existence of illegal betting in Macau but argued there was a lack of evidence about Chow's involvement and the involvement of other Sun City executives and staff.

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