TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a South Korean national in connection with an illegal poker den operated out of a luxury high-rise apartment in bustling Shinjuku Ward, reports TV Asahi (July 31).
Park Il-yong-ji, who also uses the Japanese alias Hiyuhshi Matsuda, is accused of conspiring with accomplices to host illegal poker games for customers between April and last month, according to police.
Upon his arrest, Park denied the gambling charges. “I was asked to lend my name, but I was not involved in operating a gambling business,” he told investigators.
Park and the others are believed to have generated profits of nearly 20 million yen from illegal gambling.
The arrest follows the earlier apprehension of the underground casino’s owners. Investigators allege that Park’s primary role in the syndicate was acting as a frontman, receiving cash from the operation to cover the apartment’s monthly rent and utility bills.
Police are continuing their investigation and are probing the illegal operation for potential ties to yakuza crime syndicates.
