By Vir B. Lumicao
The illegal gambling joint was run from a flat in this building |
Four Filipino residents have pleaded guilty in Eastern Court to a
charge of gambling, while a local Chinese man admitted operating the North
Point gambling joint where they were all arrested last month.
Roger Bermudez, 43, and Judith Espiritu, 42, both
bartenders; Roel Galanza, 36, delivery man, and Rommel Castillanes, 30, driver,
all admitted a charge of “gambling in a
gambling establishment” when they appeared in court on Jun 11.
Lung Cheuk-ming, 30, unemployed, pleaded guilty to a charge
of “operating a gambling establishment”.
The prosecutor said Bermudez, Galanza and Espiritu all had previous
convictions for illegal gambling. But Castillanes had a clear record.
Magistrate Lam Tsz-kan ordered the four Filipino gamblers to
pay a fine of $800 each while Lung was fined $20,000 for running the gambling
joint.
The Filipinos were arrested while playing on arcade machines
during a police raid on a 14th floor flat in Bank Tower
in North Point at around 7pm on May 23. Lung, who lives in the flat, was also
arrested.
The Hong Kong government
bans any type of gambling in this city although it allows betting on horse
racing, football and Mark Six lottery draws being held regularly by the Hong Kong
Jockey Club to raise funds for charity.
Also exempted from the ban are mahjong parlors and other
forms of social gambling.
licensed by the Home Affairs Bureau.
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