Hong Kong police arrest over 200 in illegal gambling dens sweep

More than 200 individuals have been arrested by Hong Kong police in a sweeping operation targeting illegal gambling dens, with authorities revealing that the venues leveraged QR code-based e-payments and round-the-clock complimentary catering to attract customers and extend their stays.

In a statement issued on Friday, the police said the crackdown led to the arrest of over 200 suspects, including 15 property owners, four tenants, and an individual believed to be responsible for managing an account that received digital gambling payments. Officers also confiscated gambling chips valued at HK$700,000 ($89,538) and HK$60,000 in cash.

Senior Inspector Kwok Man-wai of the New Territories North regional anti-triad unit said that the use of QR codes for transactions significantly complicated efforts to trace the illicit activities. “Operators provided QR codes for gamblers to make online payments, which made the investigation even more difficult,” Kwok said.

According to the police, the establishments not only operated continuously with free meals to encourage prolonged visits but also drew clients from across the border. Among the suspects detained were 21 individuals holding two-way permits that allow travel between mainland China and Hong Kong.

Authorities noted a recent resurgence in unlicensed gambling operations, particularly in cases where property owners knowingly allowed their premises to be used for such purposes. “Some of the property owners had already received warnings from the force in the past, but they repeatedly ignored our warnings. These gambling establishments were reopened at the same locations again after some time,” Kwok added.

The investigation highlighted that many of these illicit venues were situated within “three-nil” tenement buildings, structures that lack owners’ corporations, resident organizations, or formal property management, making them more susceptible to criminal activity.

To address the challenge, the police have extended enforcement beyond frontline operators to include landlords and financial facilitators. The crackdown seeks to dismantle the ecosystem supporting illegal gambling by arresting both those running the operations and those providing the infrastructure or enabling payments.

The force also believes the operators installed closed-circuit surveillance systems around the gambling sites to monitor access and maintain security. Entry into the venues reportedly required a referral, adding an extra layer of control to avoid detection.

Chief Inspector Tai Yuk-lun, also from the anti-triad unit, described the targeted buildings as centers for criminal behavior. The locations were a “hotbed of crime,” Tai said, noting that competition between different operators often escalated into violence.