China expands gambling blacklist

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism is drawing up a second selection of overseas gambling destinations to add to its blacklist.

China.- Chinese authorities will add new overseas gambling destinations to the country’s blacklist of destinations to which cross-border transfers are controlled.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism said it was working along with other relevant departments to create a second list of destinations that will be flagged for controls on the outflow of gambling funds.

Although the first list of destinations was never revealed, industry analysts presume it includes Australia, Cambodia, the Philippines and Vietnam, which are all popular casino hubs for Chinese customers.

According to Xinhua agency, authorities have not specified which countries are being considered for addition either but they are understood to be overseas destinations that attract Chinese tourists for gambling activities.

Travel restrictions will be imposed on Chinese citizens heading to overseas cities and areas on the list, the MCT has said.

China’s blacklist destinations

The blacklist was established in 2020 and is compiled through work by multiple departments, including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security.

In the first nine months of 2020, China’s crusade against cross-border gambling operations detected funds of 1CNY trillion (US$149.6bn).

About 8,800 cases were investigated in the period and over 60,000 suspects were arrested.

The Ministry said it dismantled 1,400 cross-border gambling operations that were aided by payment platforms and underground banks.