Taiwan charges 35 over NT$30.6bn gambling and money-laundering ring built on custom payment tech

Taiwanese prosecutors have filed charges against 35 suspects accused of running a NT$30.6bn (US$975m) illegal gambling and money-laundering syndicate that used bespoke payment platforms to disguise betting flows across East Asia.

Prosecutors in Taipei have brought formal indictments against 35 individuals allegedly tied to one of Taiwan’s largest-ever illegal gambling and money-laundering schemes. According to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, the group is suspected of channelling more than NT$30.6bn (around US$975m) through a network of custom-built payment services designed to hide the origin and destination of betting funds.

Investigators say the operation was led by a 41-year-old Taipei restaurateur, identified only by the surname Lo, who allegedly used his Hong Kong-style diner as a front while running a sophisticated underground payment empire. Prosecutors are seeking a nine-and-a-half-year prison sentence for Lo on charges including illegal online gambling, organised crime and money laundering, and have moved to confiscate the proceeds of the scheme.

The case centres on two proprietary payment platforms, HeroPay and MatchPay, which Lo is accused of developing from source code obtained in 2020. Rather than moving money directly between bettors and operators, these systems allegedly routed transactions through multiple intermediaries and layers, creating complex trails intended to evade regulatory detection.

Prosecutors say the network expanded in mid-2022 with the launch of its own gambling site, Rich 11, offering illicit online baccarat, slots and sports betting, while also providing payment services to other unlicensed operators in the region. Between July 2021 and September 2025, the combined activity is believed to have generated turnover of NT$30.6bn. A co-defendant, named as Huang, is accused of overseeing financial and administrative logistics; prosecutors are seeking a prison term of more than six years in her case. The other suspects face a range of counts under Taiwan’s Organised Crime Prevention Act and Money Laundering Control Act.

Officials present the prosecution as part of a wider escalation against illegal online betting, following public concern over match-integrity risks and earlier scandals in professional baseball. In parallel, Taiwan has recently tightened penalties for illegal sports betting and broadened the legal definition of betting-related offences, signalling that complex fintech-based gambling networks will be pursued with the same intensity as traditional underground casinos.