Macau’s junket king has fallen. Late last month, police in the gambling enclave arrested Suncity boss Alvin Chau, whose company has for years led the market in funneling high-rolling Chinese gamblers to VIP suites across the region, for alleged links to illegal cross-border gambling. A day earlier, authorities in Wenzhou, China, accused him of “severe damage to the social order of the country” and issued a warrant for his arrest.
Junket operators like Suncity are more than just high-end travel agents. They play a crucial role in financing Macau’s casinos, providing loans to Chinese customers whose money is tied up on the mainland — where gambling and its promotion are illegal — thanks to strict capital controls.
Chau’s arrest could signal the end of the glory days for Macau’s junket operators, another blow for the city that has already endured years of belt-tightening and close scrutiny from Xi Jinping’s austere regime.
This week, The Wire looks at Alvi
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