(AsiaGameHub) – Chinese gamblers are traveling to isolated rural regions to avoid police oversight, yet law enforcement officials are persisting in their efforts, closing down numerous outdoor betting operations across the country.
In their most recent operation, officers from the Banqiao Police Station and the Luoping County Public Security Bureau detained more than a dozen individuals caught placing bets in a secluded evergreen forest area, according to Chinese media outlet ZJW.
Authorities released pre-arrest photos of the group, showing several people seated on lightweight plastic stools around a foldable wooden table that appeared to be loaded with gambling paraphernalia.
Officers stated they carried out the raid on April 22, following multiple instances of remote monitoring of the group’s activities.
Chinese Gamblers Turn to Hills & Fields to Dodge Law Enforcement
Investigators explained that the group had meticulously planned their activities to “evade police crackdowns and avoid CCTV surveillance and street patrols.”
Instead, this alleged gambling ring “specifically selected remote, mountainous areas as their temporary betting dens,” officers noted.
Members of the group reportedly took turns acting as lookouts, aware that police are now actively targeting gambling rings that gather in rural areas and abandoned buildings.
Banqiao Police Station officers said they had identified the group’s members, meeting patterns, and gathering locations prior to their operation.
During the raid, authorities seized over 30,000 yuan ($4,400) in cash and a variety of gambling paraphernalia.
The station has imposed administrative penalties on eight of the arrestees. Police placed several others under administrative detention ahead of a court hearing.
Banqiao Police Station stated it would seek to punish gambling offenders “without leniency.”
The station also said it will increase police patrols in remote areas as part of an effort to “maintain peace and stability in the area.”
All forms of gambling are illegal in China, except for state-run welfare and sports lotteries.
These lotteries are legally classified as a form of fundraising, as they contribute to government welfare and sporting programs.
Tech Startup’s Website Is Exploited by Online Casino Promoters
Meanwhile, in the city of Putian, Fujian Province, police responded to a tip-off from internet users who discovered a tech startup’s website had been hijacked by online casino promoters.
The startup had recently rebranded and migrated its operations to a new site, the city’s Municipal Public Security Bureau cybersecurity department wrote in an official release.
However, the unnamed firm—identified only as a Changsha-based technology company—had “failed to promptly cancel the website registration for its former domain name.”
Opportunistic criminals reportedly took advantage of this gap, purchasing the domain name registration and using it to promote an illegal online casino platform.
The police department said the site has since been shut down.
Officers also summoned the firm’s executives to explain what had happened and instruct the company on steps to prevent a recurrence.
Late last month, Chinese police repatriated a man suspected of masterminding a cross-border sports betting ring.
Thai police arrested the man, surnamed Huang, after he fled to Thailand from Cambodia. Prosecutors have accused him of overseeing an illegal gambling empire worth around $73 million.
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