China’s Ministry of Public Security said on Tuesday that it was persisting with efforts to combat “cross-border gambling” activities, including via strengthened checks at the immigration checkpoints of the Chinese mainland. It also said it would step up investigation efforts domestically, and via “continuous” cooperation with what it termed international law enforcement institutions.
A Chinese-language notice published on Tuesday on the ministry’s website, mentioned a teleconference the same day held between mainland officials to discuss the topic. Minister of Public Security, Wang Xiaohong, was among the attendees and also spoke, reported state-run news agency Xinhua.
Tuesday’s release did state the authorities would try to disrupt any “network” within the mainland if it were identified as “soliciting” gamblers.
They would “collect evidence” and seek “accurately” to “target” those who “organise… and profit from” overseas gambling activities. Checks at what were termed “the country’s” boundary checkpoints would also be strengthened, so that the “channels for gambling participation” could be “axed”, the release stated.
The authorities would also crack down on “underground banks” and “illicit payment platforms” said to funnel capital for gambling activities, the notice said, citing commentary at the meeting. The update also mentioned that “regular clearing” action was needed, to take down any websites and mobile phone applications that involved gambling.
Officials would also “deepen” efforts with law enforcement bodies overseas to suppress crimes the release said were linked to cross-border gambling activities, namely “scams, blackmail, detaining individuals and kidnaps”.
China has a number of bilateral law-enforcement agreements with neighbouring nations in Southeast Asia, as well as an arrangement with ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, to boost cooperation in combatting cross-border gambling, including online play.
Tuesday’s update from the Chinese authorities said that last year they had “preliminary” success in curbing what was previously a “rampant” level of “cross-border gambling crime”.
The release did not mention any statistics in relation to the authorities’ claim of success.
