£20,000 illegal gambling den in Manchester raided by police

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has revealed that it has arrested four people overnight following reports of illegal gambling operations. Four warrants and enforcement activity were conducted in Manchester City Centre last night, which resulted in two men being arrested on suspicion of immigration offences, one man being arrested on suspicion of money laundering and breaching the Gambling Act, and one man being arrested on suspicion of licensing offences. The latter two are suspected to have provided gambling facilities without authority and ran a late-night takeaway without a licence respectively. GMP has seized over £20,000, as well as mobile phones and gambling-related equipment. The raid is reported to have been made possible due to intelligence gathered after a similar scenario occurred in May. Incidentally, the two people arrested during the May operation – Wing Suet Mak and Tsz To Kwok – are scheduled to appear at Manchester and Salford Magistrates court this time next week. “Our priority is to respond to the needs of our communities and ensuring those involved in criminality are brought to justice,” said PC Nial Vivian of the Manchester City Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team. “This work specifically targets reports of illegal gambling and premises operating without the appropriate licences. “This joint approach demonstrates our continued ability to problem solve within the city and the intelligence gathering and execution of four simultaneous warrants have led to these results. “This was a good team effort involving Neighbourhood Policing officers and our partners at the Gambling Commission and Manchester City Council Licensing Team. “As a force, we are working hard with our partners towards being at the forefront of tackling illegal gambling and associated organised criminality. We will continue to build on the intelligence and take further action where appropriate.” Manchester not an outlier The situation is similar to one that arose last year in Birmingham, when four individuals were arrested for operating an illegal gambling den. West Midlands Police later warned that underhanded tactics were being used to cheat players out of money on these premises, and that overseas students specifically were being targeted. Illegal gambling dens are not limited to the UK, however. Earlier this month, a three-year long investigation by German authorities resulted in the raiding of eleven illegal premises, with total stakes said to be worth almost €6bn (£5.1bn). There have also been recent reports of illegal gambling rings being busted in Asian countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam. The UK’s Gambling Commission has once again made clear that it has its sights set on clamping down on illegal operators across the country. Sue Young, Gambling Commission Executive Director of Operations, commented: “Unlicensed operators often have links to wider criminal activity, exploit vulnerable people and undermine legitimate regulated businesses. “And that is why we are always keen to work in partnership with the police to crack down on illegal operations.”