Texas hold 'em gambling den in Beijing busted, 8 detained
- Source: Global Times
- [02:27 January 18 2010]
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Eight South Korean students studying in Beijing were detained Saturday for playing Texas hold 'em in an apartment, according to the Beijing Exit and Entry Bureau.
Two of the eight, Kang and Choi, were taken into criminal detention for organizing the gambling party, and the other six were under non-criminal detention for gambling.
The police received a tip-off earlier this month.
Neighbors complained of loud noises at an apartment in Shaoyaoju, Chaoyang district and several foreigners were seen coming and going late at nights and early in the mornings.
Kang and Choi confessed to organizing the Texas hold 'em poker games for the last month. Kang rented an apartment, and spent about 4,000 yuan ($586) on table, chips and cards, hiring Choi as the dealer.
Kang made a few hundred thousand yuan in just one month by taking 20 to 50 yuan ($2.93 to $7.32) commission on each game.
The other six confessed to participating in the games more than once, and some of them lost more than 10,000 yuan ($1,465).
The police also confiscated cards, chips and more than 200,000 yuan ($29,300) in cash.
The four universities where the eight study have been notified of the case and said the students would be expelled.
According to Chinese law, anyone who runs or works at a gambling house can be sentenced to no more than three years imprisonment.
Anyone who facilitates gambling to make a profit or who participates in gambling that involves a large amount of money can be detained for less than five days and given a fine less than 500 yuan ($73.25).
Global Times
