When a group of people engage in gambling and offer a prize of more than $5000 and turn a profit of more than $25 000 for commercial gain and without a license then it is illegal. Private gambling not for commercial gain is legal.
After police busted what they believe to be an illegal gambling den in a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand, the police are on the hunt for two men.
A third man has appeared in court after police came across the den when they were called to a $1 million Parnell townhouse to investigate a break in and a serious assault in December 2013.
When the police arrived at the house they said that they found large gambling tables and smoke alarms taped over which then prompted a yearlong investigation by the Department of Internal Affairs.
Markus Grozdanovski, Jun Li and Xiaodong Xia were charged earlier this week with conducting illegal gambling.
Li and Xia are also facing charges of providing credit and equipment for illegal gambling and then making a profit from this illegal gambling as well as for allowing the townhouse to be used as a venue. Grozdanovski was jailed on bail without plea and will appear again in the Auckland District Court this month.
Li and Xia though failed to appear in court and there are warrants out for their arrest.
If the trio are found guilty then they can face a maximum of one year in jail or a fine of $20 000.
The Parnell townhouse was rented by Li in 2012. The owner of the house said that she only became aware of the illegal gambling ring that was going on at the house, when the police called her on the night of the break in.
The break in and serious assault though are not linked to the gambling charges.