TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested seven individuals for allegedly operating an illegal poker parlor out of a luxury high-rise in Shinjuku Ward, alongside seven customers caught gambling on the premises, reports the Sankei Shimbun (July 6).
Yuji Sakugawa, a 49-year-old self-employed man from Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Masashi Takahashi, a 40-year-old man of no known address, were arrested on suspicion of opening a gambling venue for profit. Five other men and women working at the parlor were also taken into custody.
Officers from the Organized Crime Countermeasures Division raided the Shinjuku apartment on July 3. During the bust, police also arrested seven customers—men and women in their 20s to 40s—on the spot for illegal gambling.
All 14 suspects have admitted to the allegations.
According to investigators, Sakugawa is believed to be the owner of the underground casino, while Takahashi served as the on-site manager. The parlor generated profits by collecting a commission known as a “rake,” taking 10 percent of the winnings from each hand played, capped at a maximum of 4,000 yen per game.
Police estimate the parlor had raked in approximately 46 million yen in the short three months since it opened around April.
Authorities are continuing their investigation, acting on suspicions that a portion of the massive profits was being funneled to yakuza syndicates as a source of illicit funding.
