Editor
Three Chinese nationals made news in Tokyo after they were arrested for running an illicit poker den in the capital city.
Tokyo police said the three individuals acquired over 60 million yen ($413,000) in a year of running the operation. Only one of the three individuals was identified, Wany Yi, a 42-year-old who lives in the Kita Ward of Tokyo. He allegedly ran the poker den out of a Tokyo condominium and charged fees to anyone who came to play poker.
Two of the suspects claimed it was a simple poker game between friends without any illegal exchange of money, but one of the suspects reportedly admitted to running the den.
The Tokyo police, who made the arrest, allege that the three suspects hosted as many as a dozen players daily and would receive 5% of the winnings as the “rake.” Nine other people were arrested at the condo, whom the police alleged were participating in the poker den.
For this operation to run functionally, several people were likely involved, including someone adept at knowing how to deal poker.
Police are always looking for illegal poker games in areas that are not permitted. This is relevant worldwide, as a similar situation happened after an illicit poker game was raided in Florida by authorities last month.
Gambling is technically illegal in Japan, and poker is strictly policed. Only limited betting is allowed on strictly controlled events like horse racing, the lottery, and boat racing. The state takes the profits.
A similar setup exists in India, where there have been talks about expanding gambling in debates about games of skill and chance.
