This article first appeared in the Sep/Oct 2010 issue of World Gaming magazine.
Over the last few months police had raided three Hong Kong poker clubs, and at least one more had voluntarily closed down. But those raids were nothing compared to what happened at the Hong Kong Poker House.
The Hong Kong Poker House had been the lynchpin of the poker playing community in Hong Kong for the last two years. Some vehemently asserted the legality of the poker games there, and others said it was a grey area of Hong Kong law. The HKPH operated as a private members club for two years, with the full knowledge of police, without ever being raided.
Around 5 August, it was announced that the HKPH was closing its doors for good on 10 August, and a final night closing party was planned. The party was for members and their guests only and required a HK$300 cover charge for food and drinks. Part of the party was a freeroll (that is, a free to enter) tournament that had some non-cash prizes generously donated by Pokerstars Macau.
The party was attended by a broad cross-section of Hong Kong society. Most of the Hong Kong poker community was there, including high profile tournament poker players from the Asia region. The crowd included many professionals and members of Hong Kong’s elite: bankers, lawyers, accountants, and well-heeled members of Hong Kong society.
At about 8:45pm Hong Kong police raided the party. Other media have reported that over 100 police were involved in the raid. 178 people in attendance (including friends and bystanders who were nowhere near the poker tables) were arrested en masse on suspicion of illegal gambling, even though the players were playing a freeroll and all chips were marked ‘no cash value’. Could this be the largest-ever mass arrest in Hong Kong outside of political demonstrations?
Police demanded players surrender their ID cards to police, and players were held in the cramped conditions of the HKPH for over three hours before being shuttled to the Central Police station in Sheung Wan. It then took over two hours to transport the 178 arrested people to the station. Chief Inspector Alvin Cheung Man-shing, who was in charge of the operation, initially told those arrested they would be released at 12:30am, but this proved to be false.
While detained in the cramped conditions at the Hong Kong Poker House, the fire alarm sounded for approximately 30 minutes. The police refused to allow people out of the building. Those arrested on the first floor said that the police barricaded them into the building. One of those arrested said, “I really feared there was going to be a stampede.” Firemen attended the scene and approximately 30 minutes after the alarm sounded it was declared a false alarm.
Those arrested were paraded in front of TV and newspaper cameras and Hong Kong’s Apple Daily splashed with pictures of those arrested on its front page the next day. Footage of those arrested was shown on Hong Kong television and media websites.
Most of those arrested were not questioned at the police station, but nevertheless they were detained for periods ranging from 10 to 21 hours before being released on bail.
Many arrestees claimed the police raid was merely a publicity stunt. Only HK$22,000 in cash was seized in the raid. This represents HK$124 per person arrested.
No charges have been laid and all 178 people were released pending further investigation and questioning. World Gaming will report further developments in the case as they come to hand.
