Police in China dismantle illegal sports betting gambling ring
Police in Wenzhou City have dismantled an illegal gambling ring that used online sports betting loopholes to make a profit of nearly US$4.6m.
China.- Chinese police in Wenzhou have disrupted an illegal gambling operation that bought hundreds of money-losing accounts and took advantage of the privileges offered to gamblers who made big bets without success.
According to local media reports, the main figure behind the illegal gambling operation was the owner of an internet cafe in Wenzhou, identified only as ‘Shi.’
Allegedly, Shi himself lost a large amount of money on a number of sports betting sites. His own experience revealedthat once the account loses a large amount of money, the operator will be willing to provide more temptations for the owner to continue playing.
They include unlimited withdrawals and other features. In addition, operators are more likely to accept large bets.
According to officers, last July, Shi asked his colleague to put online advertisements, demanding as many “losing accounts” as possible. Those who answered the ads only needed to provide the information to access their account, and could earn up to CNY5,000 (US$782) per day.
Certain accounts required facial recognition, so Shi arranged for several account holders to live in his father’s villa during the operation. Nearly 200 account holders from all over China answered the ads.
Shi worked with a gambler named “Wang” in Hainan Province, who helped build a team of more than a dozen gamblers and sports betting analysts.
They travelled to sporting events in Europe and Southeast Asia to take advantage of the instant betting function and the short delays in broadcast and data feed.
Officers arrested 69 suspects, seized 35 computers and 136 mobile phones used in the operation, and frozen funds equivalent to approximately US$3m.
A week ago, police in the provinces of Heilongjiang and Jilin also dismantled a cross-border gambling operation that organised trips for Chinese citizens to gamble at Tigre de Cristal, located in the Primorye Gambling Zone in Russia. Some 142 suspects were identified and 75 prosecuted.
