TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police last month busted an online an internet casino in Taito Ward after a dispute with customers, reports TBS News (Feb. 23).
On January 18, police raided casino Champ, located in the basement of a building in Ueno, and found 12 monitors that allowed baccarat wagering on an overseas site.
Officers arrested Shuichi Chiba for allegedly providing illegal gambling. “We opened last November,” he told the Ueno Police Station. “I got about 20 customers a day. I thought it would be a way to earn a living.”
A male customer on the premises at the time was also apprehended.
Champ, which operated 24 hours a day, was open during the latest state of emergency in effect for the coronavirus pandemic. A security camera system monitored persons coming and going.
Before the bust, two customers complained after losing more than 1 million yen. “Return our money,” one of them said. The management of Champ then alerted police.