Macau proposes 1 to 5-year jail terms for individuals providing “illegal loans”

A draft “Law to Combat Gambling Crimes” created by the Macau government suggests prison terms of one to five years for those convicted of giving “illegal loans” for gambling on the premises of casinos. A draft bill to update Macau’s current Illegal Gambling Regime has been released by the Legislative Assembly.

If found guilty, those who provide funds or other means of gambling in order to benefit financially from others or themselves could go to jail, as per the draft law. If found guilty in extraordinary circumstances—for example, if the lender demands an identity document from the borrower as a “guarantee”—the sentence could be anywhere from two to eight years in prison.

A two-to ten-year ban on entry into any Macau gaming establishment is proposed by the bill, in addition to imprisonment and fines, for those found guilty of a variety of gambling-related offenses, including coercing someone else into gambling or engaging in fraudulent gambling activities.

If the proposed law is approved and non-Macau citizens are found guilty, they could be deported or have their ability to enter the Macau Special Administrative Region restricted for a period of five to ten years.

Those found guilty of gambling-related offenses may also be considered members of a “secret association or society,” a term used legally in Macau that is frequently associated with criminal organizations like “triads,” and could lead to longer prison sentences.

Provisions to increase the maximum prison terms and the duration of preventive detention for gambling offenses, including under-the-table betting using the “multiplier,” are also included in the draft measure. At a briefing on the main language of the law held in December, representatives of the local government had already brought up this concept.

Original story by: GGRAsia