Five-star hotel in Sanya caught running secret casino  

三亚一五星酒店内藏赌场 去年曾被当地叫停

快过年了，现在也是海南旅游的旺季，记者在三亚发现，一些游客并没有选择住在交通便利、环境优美的海边酒店，而是选择了位置相对并不优越，而且还在大规模扩建中的五星级红树林酒店。酒店内的娱乐吧其实是一座变相的赌场。 [查看全文]

(ECNS) – A five-star hotel in Sanya, Hainan province, has been caught operating an "entertainment bar" that actually functioned as a casino, the Beijing Times reported, citing China Central Television.

The Mangrove Tree Resort had claimed that its entertainment bar was for guests to play "games" rather than gambling.

A staffer at the bar said guests had to buy at least one ticket costing 1,000 yuan, which could be changed into chips, and then they could play the "games" at the bar.

"It's quite the same as in Macao casinos," a game player said.

However, the chips couldn't be cashed directly at the bar, but could be used to pay for hotel accommodation and luxury goods at the resort.

Last February, Mangrove was reported to have opened a cashless casino bar in its resort. After it was exposed by media, the local government closed the casino.

Running casinos and gambling for profit are forbidden on the Chinese mainland.

"It's very profitable," said a sales manager, explaining why the resort would risk breaking the law. "Revenue from the bar accounts for half of the revenue for the whole resort," he added.

The new "entertainment bar" was expected to cover 30 thousand square meters, the manager said, and all the design, facilities, and staff would be the same as Macao's.

Sanya mayor Wang Yong announced on Saturday evening that the government will resolutely investigate the case and mercilessly punish Mangrove for its repeated violations, according to Chinanews.com.