Taiwan Police Arrest 46 People in Connection with Illegal Casino

Taiwan.- Police in Douliu, Yunlin, have made 46 arrests at what was described as a factory-like facility suspected of being used to run an illegal casino. Police also seized NT$1.89m (US$62,000) in cash in an early morning operation yesterday (March 28).

The police are said to have been watching the location for several days, observing a van dropping off groups of people at the site. According to Liberty Times, officers broke open the door and arrested everyone present. The suspected leader of the illegal casino, a 31-year-old man surnamed Wu, was among those arrested.

The police say the illegal casino mainly served local people working in the areas of agriculture, industry, and commerce, although some immigrants were also arrested. Officers believe the gambling operation frequently changed locations to avoid detection, with gamblers being notified to assemble in remote areas to be transported to the location.

In January, police arrested 18 people in central Taiwan at an alleged gambling operation for Vietnamese residents. According to officers, those arrested were engaged in an illegal game called xoc dia, which is popular in Vietnam. According to the National Immigration Agency’s Southern Administration Corps, all but two of those arrested were immigrant workers or Vietnamese immigrants.

The only legal form of gambling in operation in Taiwan are the state-run lotteries. Casinos were legalised in 2009 but to date, no regulated casinos have been built.