A total of ninety-three people were arrested after an investigation was conducted into an illegal gaming operation in Macau Hong Kong, and the Guangdong Province.
A report from government officials states that the operation was conducted in a number of Macau’s major casinos.
The police also found that the European Football Championships, which are currently taking place in Germany, was the main focus of the syndicate. It offered better odds than the legitimate bookmakers for this tournament.
The operation was in place from 2016, and law enforcement officials were waiting for the best moment to arrest the criminal syndicate.
The group also ran an illegal casino and gaming operation in Macau, which was shut down by authorities during the course of the investigation.
A customs officer was one of those arrested. It was revealed that the illegal operation was a cross-border collusion.
China has warned against the use of offshore betting and casinos and conducted an investigation that led to arrests.
China, and South Korea have recently strengthened their cooperation in combating cross-border gambling.
The Chinese media, People’s Daily reported that officials of both countries met in order to determine the best way forward in improving the enforcement of the law in the area and continuing the collaboration in combating illegal gambling.
The challenge is to find innovative methods of detecting and fighting cross-border gambling in the two East Asian countries.
China has been working to stop cross-border gambling for years. It also increased its efforts in Sri Lanka and the Philippines to boost security.
China’s Philippines Embassy published a statement on WeChat stating that Chinese gambling in foreign casinos is illegal.
The Chinese government’s statement is important because it shows that they cannot guarantee consumer protections if their citizens gamble at casinos abroad, even though these are legal establishments in the respective jurisdiction.
