A Macau court on Wednesday sentenced top junket boss Alvin Chau to 18 years in prison after he was found guilty of charges including enabling illegal gaming.

Chau was chairman of Macau's Suncity – which brokered the gambling activity of mainland high rollers – until December 2021, a month after his arrest.

The sentence marks a dramatic turnaround for the businessman, who once presided over the gambling hub's VIP industry. He was also found guilty of running a criminal syndicate and money laundering.

Chau pleaded not guilty to the charges.

His lawyers had argued that he did not operate any illegal gambling or commit money laundering and that his business in the Philippines was permitted by local authorities there. No one from Suncity Group had promoted gambling on the mainland, they said.

Macau is the only city in China where citizens are permitted to gamble in casinos.

Junket operators help facilitate gambling for wealthy mainlanders in Macau, extending them credit and collecting on their debt on behalf of casino operators. Marketing or soliciting gambling on the mainland is illegal.

Chau's Suncity was a major player in Macau until 2019, prior to the coronavirus outbreak, accounting for about a quarter of total gaming revenues, industry executives said.

That year, Macau casinos generated US$36 billion in revenue.

The junket industry has collapsed in the former Portuguese enclave since Chau's arrest, with all of Suncity's VIP rooms shuttered. Many other operators folded, hurt by poor sentiment and a lack of business due to Covid-related travel restrictions. (Reuters)