7 influencers bailed over promotion of gambling websites
Actress Bui Yee-lam among social media figures arrested in crackdown on illegal football betting
A Hong Kong actress is among seven social media influencers who were arrested on suspicion of using online platforms to promote overseas gambling websites that accept bets on World Cup football matches, police have revealed.
The Post yesterday learned that actress Bui Yee-lam, 28, also known as Chantale Belle or Bui Yee on her social media accounts, was detained when crime squad officers raided her flat in Yuen Long on Sunday.
The other six suspects, also women, included a beautician, while the remainder were unemployed, according to the force. The seven local residents were detained on suspicion of promoting bookmaking – an offence punishable by up to seven years’ jail and a HK$5 million fine under the Gambling Ordinance.
Chief Inspector Chan Ka-ying, of the New Territories South regional crime unit, said police had noticed some social media influencers were promoting illegal gambling websites on their online accounts recently.
Chan said the investigation led officers to identify seven influencers in the city, including one who had used photographs of someone else to attract followers.
Between Monday and Sunday last week, officers arrested the seven women aged between 20 and 30 in a series of raids in Mong Kok, Tsuen Wan, Tseung Kwan O, Wan Chai and Yuen Long.
During the operation, officers seized seven mobile phones, a computer tablet and a laptop.
“We believe that because of their online influence, criminals offered monetary rewards to lure them into promoting illegal gambling websites and attracting punters through their social media platforms,” Chan said.
Bui has more than 220,000 followers on Instagram. She starred in To Love or Not to Love (2017), Delete My Love and I Sell Love (2014), and has appeared on television and online shows in recent years.
Chan said the gambling sites the suspects allegedly promoted accepted bets on World Cup matches and horse racing, adding that one of them was based in the Philippines.
The source said early indications suggested the seven women did not know each other and officers were investigating whether the suspects were hired by the same gang.
According to the force, the seven women had been released on bail.
Chan stressed police would strengthen law enforcement against bookmaking and illegal gambling activities during the World Cup.
In a separate anti-gambling operation, Kowloon East antitriad squad officers arrested a 37-year-old man and seized HK$1.5 million in football betting records along with HK$28,000 in cash, as well as electronic devices, at an industrial unit in Tsuen Wan last Wednesday.
Criminals offered monetary rewards to lure them into promoting illegal gambling websites
CHIEF INSPECTOR CHAN KA-YING
In February, police arrested a businesswoman and social media influencer accused of gambling illegally at an online casino and promoting bookmaking.
So Mei-yan, also known as Cry So or So Miu-miu on her social media accounts, was accused of sharing her activities on a foreign gambling website online. Gambling in an illegal establishment carries a maximum penalty of nine months in jail and a HK$30,000 fine.
So, who posted pictures of her lavish lifestyle on social media, made headlines in November 2020 when she was robbed at her home. Her Facebook account shows she has 27,333 followers.