Police have arrested seven people during a raid on an alleged illegal mahjong gambling den in Sham Shui Po on Thursday afternoon.
Sham Shui Po police district special duty team officers stormed a premises on Pei Ho Street after gathering intelligence and conducting an in-depth investigation.
Officers arrested a 64-year-old local woman surnamed Chan on suspicion of operating a gambling establishment. Four local women, one local man and one mainland Chinese man aged between 20 and 63 were arrested for gambling in a gambling establishment.
During the operation, police seized three electronic mahjong tables, six sets of mahjong tiles, some furniture and a small amount of gambling money.
All arrested persons are currently in custody for investigation.
Police reiterated that under Hong Kong's Gambling Ordinance, both operating a gambling establishment and gambling in such premises are serious offences. The former carries a maximum penalty of a $5 million fine and seven years' imprisonment upon conviction, while the latter carries a maximum penalty of a $50,000 fine and nine months' imprisonment.
