Wynn Macau has warned that the increasing prevalence of offshore online gambling websites illegally using the names of Macau’s casino concessionaires poses a threat to the company’s reputation and business.
It follows a report by China’s state-owned media giant Xinhua last month that police had arrested 63 suspects in Jiangsu for being part of a criminal gang that operated five online gambling sites utilizing names such as New Lisboa Casino and Venetian. Macau’s SJM Holdings operates Lisboa and Grand Lisboa on the Macau Peninsula while Sands China’s world renowned Venetian Macao was the first integrated resort to be built in Cotai.
In its interim report released on Monday, Wynn Macau noted that there has been an increase in the international operation of fraudulent online gambling and investment websites attempting to scam and defraud members of the public.
“These fraudulent websites can appear highly professional and will often feature false statements on their websites in an attempt to pass off as a legitimate business or purport to be in association with, or be accredited by, a legitimate business or governmental authority,” the company said.
“If our efforts to cause these sites to be shut down through civil action and by reporting these sites to the appropriate authorities are unsuccessful or not timely completed, these unauthorized activities may continue and harm our reputation and negatively affect our business.”
Wynn Macau reiterated that it does not offer online gambling and that any group using its likeness was doing so “without our authorization and possibly unlawfully and with criminal intent.”