80,000 Arrests as Chinese Gambling Crackdown Continues

January 26, 2022 Crime & Legal Industry Updates

More than 80,000 arrests for cross-border gambling were made by the Chinese authorities last year, with over 2,200 illegal online gambling platforms shut down in the latest crackdown.

The arrests and closures were the result of 17,000 separate cases investigated by China’s Ministry of Public Security, which also resulted in 1,600 illegal payment platforms being closed down.

The most recent numbers released indicate a slight decrease on the previous year’s figures, but show the authorities are still pursuing their strict anti-gambling policy.

At present, only state-run lotteries are permitted in mainland China, and that has led millions of gamblers to head to other destinations to try their luck.

An estimated $150billion of gambling-related money left the country by various means in the first three-quarters of 2020 alone.

A blacklist system was launched in 2020 that made visiting certain countries for gambling purposes illegal, the official party line being to “safeguard the lives and property of Chinese citizens.”

That also included those involved in organising such gambling trips, with “junket” operators targeted in the likes of Macau and Australia, along with online operators in, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Vietnam and other countries.

Part of the crackdown saw a new criminal code amendment put in place last March to target the operators and customers, with an amnesty for those involved to turn themselves in.

With leniency offered in return for cooperation with the authorities, a reported 1,100 people handed themselves in, while a 24/7 tip-off hotline has seen more than 60,000 calls.

There are a number of departments involved in the ongoing crackdown on gambling, with banking institutions and internet providers teaming up with immigration and tourism departments.

The Ministry of Public Security claims their concerted efforts have proved fruitful in “wiping out the gambling recruitment and attraction networks, money laundering and other illegal monetary channels of many large, overseas gambling groups in China.”