Elderly gamblers busted in casino raid

Eight people, including seven elderly patrons were arrested in New Taipei City’s Sanxia District when police raided an illegal casino, Saturday, January 26.

After three reports earlier this month led police to the wrong addresses, the officers finally honed in on a house on Baiji mountain, 1.5 kilometers from the misreported location.

Inside the house, police arrested 8 people with a combined age of 570 years. While one of the arrested was only 47, the oldest was an 84-year-old woman, and the others were all over 70 years old.

The casino operators were a 74-year-old man named Chiou, and his 70-year-old wife.

The gamblers were engaged in playing small stakes Four Color Cards, a type of rummy popular in China and Vietnam. The Lunar New Year holiday is approaching, and playing cards or mahjong is a popular traditional pastime in the new year holiday.

The gamblers argued that they were just playing small stakes, but police pointed out that someone had provided the venue, and was taking a rake, and therefore it was considered an illegal casino, according to regulations on gambling and the Social Order Maintenance Law.

Police confiscated NT$880 in gambling money, NT$300 rake money, and decks of cards as evidence.

After questioning, all eight people were charged with gambling offences.

Police warned the public that they are cracking down on illegal gambling as the Lunar New Year approaches.

Source: China Times, United Daily News.

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