Macau busts WeChat livestream of Philippine casino baccarat

Macau authorities busted a gang that livestreamed action from a Philippine casino on the same day that Philippine authorities arrested 14 Chinese nationals operating a different illegal online gambling ring.

On December 13, Macau’s Judiciary Police (PJ) raided a residential building in the ZAPE area where three suspects were arrested for operating an illegal online gambling operation. The ring reportedly used the WeChat social network to livestream action from a lone baccarat table in an unspecified Philippine casino to their customers.

Police said the ring had apparently been in action for at least one year and had earned around HKD 2m (US $266k) in ill-gotten proceeds via the Alipay payment processing channel. Police, who believe the group was controlled by an international syndicate, seized a variety of phones, computers and other tools of the illegal trade.

WeChat has become a popular method of delivering illegal online casino services to gamblers, particularly those living on the Chinese mainland, where gambling is strictly forbidden. Macau authorities have disrupted multiple WeChat-based operations this year, including the most recent bust in October.