This weekend, " Ximihua " was arrested by the mainland police, causing continued concern.
On November 26, the Wenzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau issued a case report stating that a cross-border gambling criminal group headed by criminal suspect Zhou Zhuohua was suspected of committing the crime of opening casinos in China, and the circumstances were serious. Recently, the Wenzhou Municipal People's Procuratorate approved the arrest of criminal suspect Zhou Zhuohua in accordance with the law. The report also urged Zhou Zhuohua to surrender as soon as possible and strive for leniency.
The latest news shows that on November 28, the Judicial Police of the Macau SAR Government held a special press conference on this case and confirmed that Zhou and 10 other people of a criminal group were arrested in the early morning of the 27th. Zhou and 11 other people confessed to setting up overseas gambling platforms and other activities.
Zhou Zhuohua is the boss behind Suncity Group and is also called "Asia's new gambling king" by the media. A review of public information shows that Suncity Group has a huge asset range and has successively opened Sun Century Group, , Sun International Financial Group , Sun International Securities, Sun International Finance, Sun Entertainment Culture, Zhonghui International Communications, Sun Zhenhui, etc. The company's business covers gaming, finance, catering, entertainment, film and television, etc., with more than 1,000 employees. The reason why
Suncity Group and the man behind it, Zhou Zhuohua, have suddenly emerged is mainly because they have focused their development on online gambling. According to the Economic Information Daily, the casino and network servers of the Sun City online gambling platform are located overseas, but most of the gamblers are in mainland China, and gambling funds can be settled in RMB in the mainland. According to people familiar with the matter, it is estimated that there are hundreds of thousands of members of the Suncity online gambling platform, with a yearly betting volume of more than one trillion yuan. This number is equivalent to nearly twice China’s total lottery revenue of 511.47 billion yuan in 2018.
16-month investigation approved the arrest of "Mihua Washing"
According to "Safe Wenzhou" news on November 26, in July 2020, the Wenzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau of Zhejiang Province opened a casino case for Zhang Ningning and others to investigate in accordance with the law. The criminal suspect Zhou Zhuohua, male, a resident of Macau, China, is a shareholder and director of Macau Sun City Gaming Agency Co., Ltd.
Since 2007, Zhou Zhuohua has contracted gambling halls in casinos in Macau and other places, and in 2016 he opened online gambling platforms in the Philippines and other places. In order to obtain illegal benefits, Zhou Zhuohua developed domestic personnel as shareholder-level agents and gambling agents. Through high-value credit extensions, promotion of gambling business, provision of vehicle pick-up services and technical support, etc., he organized Chinese citizens to gamble in overseas casinos contracted by him. Participate in cross-border online gambling activities; establish asset management companies in China to provide services for gamblers to exchange assets for gambling chips, help recover gambling debts, and assist customers in cross-border fund redemptions; use illegal channels such as underground banks to provide gamblers with Fund settlement services gradually formed a cross-border gambling criminal group headed by Zhou Zhuohua, with Zhang Ningning and others as the backbone, with fixed personnel, clear hierarchies and a large number of people. As of July 2020, the cross-border gambling criminal group headed by Zhou Zhuohua has developed a total of 199 shareholder-level agents, more than 12,000 gambling agents, and more than 80,000 gambling members in China. The amount involved is extremely huge and has seriously harmed our society. Management order.
According to " Macau Daily ", on the evening of November 27, the Macau Judicial Police Bureau informed the media that it had detected a case involving a criminal group, illegal gambling and money laundering headed by businessman "Zhou Xing".
On the afternoon of November 28, the Macau Judicial Police held a special press conference, confirming that they had arrested a 47-year-old man surnamed Zhou and 10 other people in a criminal group. The relevant persons will be transferred to the Macau Procuratorate for investigation later. The relevant persons have admitted to setting up Overseas gambling platforms and other behaviors.
The Macau Judicial Police stated that it received intelligence in August 2019 that illegal groups are using Macau to operate VIP room businesses, set up gambling platforms overseas, and recruit mainland residents to engage in illegal online gambling. These illegally obtained properties are passed through casinos. VIP room accounts were transferred and concealed through illegal channels such as underground banks.
On November 27, the Macau SAR government issued a statement stating that after receiving notifications from relevant mainland departments, the SAR police took the suspect surnamed Zhou and other persons involved to the police station in accordance with the law that morning based on evidence obtained from previous criminal investigations. investigation. The SAR government reiterated in its statement that all personnel engaged in the gaming industry in Macau must strictly abide by the relevant laws and regulations of the country and Macau. Any behavior suspected of violating Macau laws and regulations will be investigated in accordance with the law and will not be tolerated.
The fortune-making history of the "New Gambling King"
The reason why Chow Cheuk-wah was arrested has attracted people's attention. In addition to his status as Macau's "new gambling king", Chow Cheuk-wah has also repeatedly used his identity as an entertainment tycoon to rely on his polyamorous romances, scandals and hundreds of millions of dollars. The breakup fees and alimony payments have repeatedly appeared in the entertainment headlines of media in Hong Kong, Macau and other places.
Zhou Zhuohua also has a legend of grassroots sudden wealth.
Zhou Zhuohua was born in Macau on May 30, 1974. Public information shows that Zhou Zhuohua began to get involved in the Macau gaming industry in 1994. He first worked as a "picker" in the casino, also called a "junket operator." The main job of the "junket operator" is to accompany gamblers to exchange loans for chips, and take 10% of the bet from each bet.
The reason why Zhou Zhuohua is nicknamed "Xi Mihua" is related to a Hong Kong drama " City Story ". The male protagonist Liang Sihao in the drama is nicknamed "Xi Mihua". Because Zhou Zhuohua looks very similar to the male protagonist, so he got the nickname "Xi Mihua". "The nickname.
In 1995, the 21-year-old "Ximi Hua" became a disciple of Macau gambling tycoon Yin Guoju, who was known as the "Broken Tooth Horse". In 1999, Beng Yaju was imprisoned. Xi Mihua visited him in prison many times and gradually gained Yin Guoju's respect. With the help of Yin Guoju's network and power, Zhou Zhuohua turned to the operation and management of casino VIP clubs. After more than ten years, he became the local "King of Casinos".
In addition to the support of big bosses, the reason why "Ximihua" can become famous is also because Zhou Zhuohua has spotted new opportunities on the Internet.
In 1998, Zhou Zhuohua took advantage of the rise of the Internet era and obtained an online gambling license in the Philippines. He operated the Sun City gambling website, which provided all kinds of gambling and even broadcast live dealer openings, which was very popular among gamblers.
According to a report by the Economic Information Daily on July 8, 2019, when you enter the Suncity Online Gambling APP interface, the casino you see in the remote online video is Suncity’s “Baccarat” casino. The camera transmits the gaming table footage to the Internet in real time. , and then displayed on the computer or mobile phone screen.
Although the casinos are as far away as the Philippines and Cambodia, gamblers in mainland China can see the panoramic view of the casino as long as they turn on their computers and mobile phones and log in to its platform, including the casino's croupier (dealer) dealing cards live. After clicking to enlarge, you can even see the "player" and "banker" placed on both sides in front of the dealer. Gamblers watch the synchronized video live and place bets at the same time. Suncity's electronic bettors speak to the gamblers to confirm, as if they were actually there.
The report also showed that the "Electronic Investment" or "Hao E Investment" gambling methods of the Suncity Online Gambling Platform have four and six venues respectively, located in casinos such as City of Dreams and Kakawan Resort in the Philippines, as well as West Lake in Cambodia. Resort hotel casino; "Electric Investment" gambling method has a minimum chip of 5,000 yuan and a maximum of 2.5 million yuan; "Hao E Investment" gambling method has a minimum chip of 1,000 yuan and a maximum of 40 million yuan. The video shows that the Suncity online gambling platform has at least 100 baccarat gaming tables, and players can quickly switch gaming tables.
According to people familiar with the matter, the Sun City online gambling platform has been operating for more than four years and has an estimated number of hundreds of thousands of members. Recently, the average monthly betting amount from mainland China has reached more than 100 billion yuan, and the annual betting amount is in the trillions. This figure is equivalent to nearly twice China’s total lottery revenue of 511.47 billion yuan in 2018.
It is worth noting that on the same day the report was issued, Suncity Group issued a clarification statement on the company’s WeChat official account. However, judging from the stock price reaction, the above statement did not have much effect. Suncity Group's stock price fell by 3.68% that day, and fell again by 19.67% on July 9.
Relevant companies urgently clarified
Zhou Zhuohua’s listed companies have not made an announcement on the matter so far
It is understood that as early as July 2020, there was news that Zhou Zhuohua was “in trouble”, and it was rumored that Suncity Group was suspected of using casinos to “launder money” As a result, there was a financial crisis, funds were frozen, and even the movies that had been produced in the past were affected.
combed through Zhou Zhuohua's assets and found that Zhou Zhuohua's core asset is Suncity Group. In addition, he controls a number of listed companies in Hong Kong such as Suncity Group, First Chance Enterprise Group, Sun International, and Empire Group Global Holdings.
Suncity Group's interim results show that in the six months ended June 30, 2021, the company's total revenue from continuing operations increased 99% to 149 million yuan; the profit for the period attributable to the company's equity holders was 320 million yuan Yuan, a year-on-year turnaround from a loss of 119 million Yuan in the same period last year.
Zhou Zhuohua’s capital territory also extends deep into the mainland. In the mainland, Suncity Group owns companies such as Sun International Finance, Sun Entertainment Culture, Zhonghui International Communications, Sun Zhenhui, and Sky21 Bar and Restaurant, creating a diversified business empire with as many as a thousand employees.
Among them, the more eye-catching one is undoubtedly Sun Entertainment Culture Company (referred to as "Sun Entertainment"). According to the information displayed on the official website of Maoyan Movie , Sun Entertainment was officially established in early 2011 as a production company and brokerage company. So far, Sun Entertainment has launched a number of film and television works.
It is understood that in July 2020, after the news about Zhou Zhuohua’s involvement came out, the celebrity agency Taiyang Chuanhe issued a statement to refute the rumors, saying that it had not participated in any money laundering activities, and had reported it to the public security and other relevant departments and obtained evidence for preparation. sue.
After the arrest of Zhou Zhuohua came to light, in the early morning of November 27, Taiyang Chuanhe official Weibo forwarded another relevant statement from July last year, stating that the company has no relationship with the Ximihua Sun Group and will still treat all defamation and infringements. Hold us accountable to the end according to law!
As of press time, none of Zhou Zhuohua’s listed companies has yet made an announcement on this matter.
Shell Finance noticed that Suncity Group acted in a high-profile manner in its early years and had a very close relationship with the entertainment industry. In February 2017, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Suncity Group, Suncity Group held the "Suncity Group 10th Anniversary Legendary Night" celebration event at the Studio City Arena in Macau, where many stars gathered.
Will the "six-card" format of Macau gambling tables change?
Regarding the arrest of the suspected "Zhou Zhuohua", on November 27, the Macau SAR government issued a statement stating that after receiving a notification from the relevant mainland departments, the Macau SAR police arrested the suspect surnamed Zhou in accordance with the law that morning based on evidence obtained from previous criminal investigations. and other persons involved were brought to the police station for investigation. The SAR government reiterated in its statement that all personnel engaged in the gaming industry in Macau must strictly abide by the relevant laws and regulations of the country and Macau. Any behavior suspected of violating Macau laws and regulations will be investigated in accordance with the law and will not be tolerated.
has a close relationship with the fourth brother of the gambling king family. Will Zhou Zhuohua become an opportunity to change the "six card" pattern of Macau's gaming industry?
A long time ago, the saying "six cards" was circulated in the Macau gaming industry. The so-called "license" refers to the Macau gaming business license that is officially recognized by Macau as legal. Those who hold a casino license can open a specific number of gambling halls and gaming tables in accordance with specific regulations.
Before 1999, Macau's gaming industry had been monopolized by the He Hongshen family for a long time, and its operating entity was Orbo Holdings. After the handover, the Macau government issued new "gambling licenses", namely Galaxy Casino Co., Ltd. and Wynn Resorts Macau Co., Ltd. entered the game, and Macau's gaming industry began a "three-legged" situation. In 2002, there were new entrants into the Macau gaming industry: MGM Resorts Limited, Sands China, and Melco Resorts Macau Limited. Since then, Macau's gaming industry has had "six gambling cards" and the situation continues to this day.
After the death of Stanley Ho , three of the six gambling cards were inherited by members of the gambling king's family. The operating entities are SJM Holdings, MGM China and Melco Resorts.
SJM Holdings is currently controlled by Ho Hong-shen’s four-bedroom wife Liang Anqi . In 2010 and before, SJM Holdings’ market share in the Macau gaming industry was as high as 30%. However, it has gradually declined in recent years. In 2019, SJM Holdings’ market share in the Macau gaming industry was only 14.10%.
MGM China and Melco Crown are both controlled by Second Room. Stanley Ho's son, Stanley Ho, controls Melco Crown, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed company Melco International Development. MGM China is jointly operated by , the eldest daughter of the second wife, He Chaoqiong, , and MGM Group. He Chaoqiong also holds a 22.49% stake in MGM China.
