JAKARTA: Police raided a clandestine casino operating at an entertainment establishment in the Nagoya area of Batam, Riau Islands, on Saturday (Aug 15) evening and arrested 197 people, including 10 foreigners, as well as confiscating Rp 7.79 billion (US$435,715) in cash.
Officers from the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) led a joint team in the raid on the gambling den at the Nine Stage Lounge and Bar at about 9.3pm in Batam’s Nagoya Indah Shophouse Block B2 No. 9.
Bareskrim deputy chief Insp. Gen. Nunung Syaifuddin said the raid was the result of an investigation over two to three months.
“This enforcement did not start from a mere public tip off but also information from the press and community leaders in Batam,” he told a press conference at the Batam, Rempang and Galang (Barelang) Police headquarters on Sunday.
From the 197 people, the police identified the owner, two managers, five cashiers, a supervisor, 25 chip exchangers, 65 dealers, two marketing staff and 96 gamblers.
The gamblers were mostly Indonesians, along with seven Chinese, two Singaporeans and a Malaysian.
Officers found Rp7.29 billion in three vaults and another Rp500 million was found on chip exchange desks. The police also confiscated 105 gambling machines, consisting of 16 trophy or bubble machines, 54 scatter machines, 20 mahjong machines, 14 fish hunter machines and one dice machine.
They also found a stash of chips, which are still in the counting process. Nunung said detectives were questioning all detainees to map each of their roles. He said such large-scale gambling could not run with only one or two people.
Detectives are still studying who was behind the casino operations, including organisers and financiers.
“We are still developing the activities so we can determine who the core players are and their specific roles,” he said.
“Those who have important roles in the network will be brought to Jakarta for further investigation by Bareskrim detectives.”
The suspected casino organiSers will be charged under Article 426 and Article 427 of the 2023 Criminal Code. The maximum penalty is nine years’ imprisonment.
Also being explored is the use of money laundering articles, especially considering the large sums of money in the illicit gambling den.
If a money laundering element is detected, the perpetrators face up to 15 years behind bars.
Other crimes being investigated include suspected drug abuse in the gambling den.
“We are still developing that direction [drug abuse],” said Nunung, who was stationed at Barelang Police when he was a middle-ranking officer. He said the raid was a warning to other entertainment spots in Batam not to operate as a smokescreen for gambling activities.
“We remind all parties who are still running gambling operations to stop their activities,” he warned.
“We will take stern measures if we uncover gambling operations.
Bareskrim also expressed its appreciation to Riau Islands Police and Barelang Police for their support so that all enforcement actions could be carried out safely, smoothly and in an orderly manner. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
