Operator of Macau ‘name and shame’ casino debtor site faces jail time

The man behind the website that posted the identities of indebted gamblers in Macau has been found guilty of violating the special administrative region’s privacy laws.

Charlie Choi, chairman of the Macau Gaming Information Association, has also been found guilty of failing to comply with an order from the Judiciary Police to delete the indebted gamblers’ information from the “Wonderful World” website, Inside Asian Gaming reported.

Choi is sentenced to six months in jail with two years’ probation, according to the report.

The ruling stemmed from a case in 2014, when Choi was charged with breaching data protection laws for operating the Wonderful World website, which debuted a year earlier. The website featuring names and photos of around 500 alleged deadbeat gamblers from various countries, along with the amounts they owed and personal details including phone numbers, plus colorfully pejorative adjectives like “rogue” or “robber.” The site also offered “bounties” to anyone whose actions led to the repayment of any of the listed individuals’ debts.