Hong Kong police have arrested 16 people, including seven mainland Chinese visitors, after shutting down an illegal gambling den that offered arcade fishing game machines in Kowloon.
The force said on Friday that the gambling den, which was raided by officers the previous day, operated in a residential flat on Fa Yuen Street in Mong Kok.
Six arcade machines, HK$3,000 (US$385) in cash and gambling paraphernalia were seized in the raid.
The 11 men and five women were rounded up in the operation, code-named “Fullboom”.
Police said nine suspects were Hong Kong residents, while the others – two men and five women – were from the mainland.
One of the local men was detained on suspicion of operating the gambling establishment, while the others were held for gambling unlawfully.
As of Friday morning, all the suspects were being held for questioning. Officers from the Mong Kok district’s special duties squad are following up on the case.
Police also reminded property owners of their responsibility to understand tenants’ intended use of rented flats to “prevent them from using the flats for illegal purposes”.
“Police will continue to enforce the law rigorously to combat various illegal activities,” the force said.
In Hong Kong, gambling unlawfully carries a maximum penalty of nine months in jail and a HK$30,000 fine. Operating an illegal establishment could lead to seven years in prison and a HK$5 million fine.
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