Taiwanese authorities have confirmed that 'Billion-Dollar Gambling King' Lin Bingwen jumped bail, fled the country, and was shot dead in Cambodia.
According to reports from Taiwan's Liberty Times, Taibao, and Mirror News, regarding rumors that Lin Bingwen—nicknamed 'Sea Bass', known as the 'Billion-Dollar Gambling King'—was shot dead on the streets of Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on the 23rd, Taiwan's National Police Agency Criminal Investigation Bureau International Division stated on the 24th that they had verified the news through various channels. They are currently investigating the situation. For now, further case details, including motive and process, are pending investigation by Cambodian police and cannot be disclosed.
The CIB stated that its liaison officer in Ho Chi Minh City has established a contact window with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' office in Ho Chi Minh City to jointly assist the family in traveling to Cambodia for identification of the body and to handle subsequent related matters.
The 56-year-old Lin Bingwen started his early days in Luzhou, New Taipei City. Due to his strong gangster style, he earned the nickname 'Sea Bass'.
In 2008, Lin Bingwen was involved in the Chinese Professional Baseball League's dmedia T-Rex match-fixing scandal, being accused of threats, intimidation, and bribery to force players to fix games. He was sentenced to two years in prison and fined 730,000 New Taiwan Dollars (NTD) (90,000 Malaysian Ringgit). After his release, Lin Bingwen invested in the gambling industry and gained enormous profits, earning him the title of 'Billion-Dollar Gambling King'.
In 2021, Lin Bingwen publicly stated that he would help entertainer Pong Chia-chia handle over NT$100 million in debt and coordinated with creditors through his company PGTalk. Later, Lin Bingwen was accused of defaulting on debt settlements and losing contact with some creditors. He then stated that he would no longer handle Pong Chia-chia's debts and that their cooperation had ended.
Additionally, Lin Bingwen was suspected of laundering money for Guo Zhemin, head of 88 Club, allegedly handling foreign exchange transactions totaling 21.71 billion New Taiwan Dollars (2.671 billion Malaysian Ringgit). In 2023, after being indicted, Lin Bingwen was released on bail for 3 million NTD (369,400 Malaysian Ringgit), but from early November 2024 he started missing court hearings, and from December on disappeared completely. The New Taipei District Court later issued a warrant for his arrest and revoked his bail.
During his time on the run, Lin Bingwen posted on Facebook stating that he 'was not running because of legal issues, but due to personal reasons and too many things needing time to handle', and revealed he was willing to return to Taiwan to face all charges.
Reportedly, Taiwanese prosecutors and police previously received information that Lin Bingwen was hiding in Los Angeles, USA. At the end of last year, they learned again he was seen in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, allegedly investing in and managing hotel casinos locally with mainland Chinese associates.