If you’re active on Weibo, you might have noticed the keywords “Jay Chou Macau” topping its trending list yesterday (Mar 11)
Like many, we thought the Mandopop King had announced his concert in the city, only to discover that rumours were spreading that the 45-year-old had incurred a massive gambling debt in Macau.
It all began when some Chinese media outlets reported that a “super A-list male star” had lost his entire 1.03bil yuan (S$189mil) fortune during a week-long gambling spree at the Wynn Palace casino.
He allegedly had to mortgage three luxury homes and a private jet to cover his gambling debts, with some netizens speculating that the celeb in question is Jay Chou.
Turns out it was nothing but a wild rumour.
In fact, the singer has not visited Macau in years.
Jay’s music label JVR Music has since issued a statement, refuting the claims: “The trending topic on Weibo today regarding ‘super A-list male star gambling heavily in Macau’ has led some netizens to speculate that this refers to our artiste, Jay Chou. We hereby clarify that these rumours have no connection whatsoever with Jay Chou! We urge everyone to stop spreading false information.”
Meanwhile, Jay took to Instagram, sharing photos of himself working on his album and out with fellow musicians Alan Kuo and Gary Yang — indirectly addressing and dismissing the rumours.
Jay’s pal and personal trainer, Taiwanese live streamer Liu Genghong, also humorously refuted the rumours by posting on Weibo: “Let’s balance out the trending topics by posting a video of Jay Chou’s ‘Xiamen’ workout! Don’t waste public resources on baseless gossip — redirect attention to something meaningful. Stop spreading unverified stories online! We’ve got a workout session tonight—focus on your health instead!”
Years ago, similar rumours circulated about Jay allegedly losing money gambling in Macau.
In 2010, he was also said to have lost nearly $2mil gambling at the Marina Bay Sands.
Photos: Jay Chou/Instagram
