TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 45-year-old man and four of his staff for allegedly operating an illegal poker parlor in Shinjuku Ward that is suspected of funneling money to the yakuza, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Oct. 27).
Hiroki Sei, a company executive residing in Suginami Ward, and four other men and women were caught red-handed on October 25 during a raid on a multi-tenant building in Aizumicho. They face charges of opening a gambling establishment for profit.
Sei, who is believed to be the manager of the parlor, has partially denied the charges. While he told investigators, “There is no doubt I made a profit through participation fees,” he denies collecting a commission directly from the games.
According to police, the parlor allowed patrons to play poker with bets reaching up to 4,000 yen per hand. The house allegedly collected a 10 percent commission — commonly known as a “rake” — from the winning players’ payouts.
Police estimate the illicit operation raked in approximately 120 million yen in revenue between July of last year and October of this year. Investigators are now probing the financial flow, suspecting that a portion of the parlor’s massive profits was funneled to organized crime syndicates.
During the raid, officers also arrested seven male customers, aged in their 20s to 40s, on the spot for illegal gambling.