Mainland authorities hail 2021 as most ‘successful year’ in cracking down cross-border gambling

February 18, 2022 China Crime & Legal

Several cross-border gambling groups were destroyed in 2021, making it the year with the most considerable impact on cross-border gambling operations Minister of Public Security, Zhao Kezhi, said in a Tuesday meeting, with mainland authorities also pledging to advance with more policies for combating cross-border gambling.

At the end of 2021, the former chairman of Suncity Group, Alvin Chau, was the target of an arrest warrant by authorities in the mainland city of Wenzhou on suspicion of opening casinos in the mainland and was shortly later arrested by Macau Judiciary Police.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of Tak Chun Group, Levo Chan, was also detained by the Judiciary Police at the end of January 2022.

In an official meeting held by the Ministry of Public Security, Zhao advanced that authorities will advance the blacklist of customs entry and exit of persons involved in gambling, and strive to completely destroy overseas gambling networks.

Zhao also added that joint crackdown actions will be formulated, in cooperation with international law enforcement bodies in other regions.

Cross-border gambling prevention efforts were also described as being conducted in order to “create a safe and stable political and social environment” for the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China to be held this year, according to the press release.

The mainland police will “hit cross-border gambling immediately when it shows up”, Zhao stressed.

Chinese central authorities had greatly reinforced the country’s penal framework targetting gambling operations involving Chinese nationals, either inside or outside borders.

In April of 2021 Zhao Kezhi had already pointed out the importance of combating cross-border gambling and that the country needed to destroy all related operations.

Last year the director-general of China’s Ministry of Public Security International Cooperation Department, Liao Jinrong, has also stated that about RMB1 trillion (US$145.5 billion) in funds flows out of China into gambling activities every year, underlining the issue as a “threat to the country’s economy and national security”.