China’s Ministry of Public Security has revealed the numbers of illegal cross-border gambling in 2021, arguing that enforcement officers have detected and addressed 17,000 instances of such breaches. China has been a hardliner against cross-border gambling, focusing on junket operators in the special administrative region of Macau and issuing a stern warning to foreign governments to clamp down on companies that lure Chinese tourists for gambling.

Owing up to their Wrongs

Cambodia and the Philippines are just two countries that have complied with China’s charm offensive in the region and have ensured that local organizations do not target Chinese visitors. China itself has conducted 80,000 arrests and shut down over 2,000 online gambling websites, the ministry stated in the update. That led to the suspension of 1,600 illegal payment platforms developed to cater to the needs of such underground operations.

The ministry even saw 1,100 suspects turn themselves in, partly because the government has been prompting wrongdoers to owe up before authorities catch up to them. A big part of tackling cross-border gambling has been the fact that the ministry received 60,000 tips, pointing to a culture of vigilance among concerned citizens. 

China has not slowed down over the years, citing various concerns as to why such gambling operations should not be allowed to run their course. The country pointed to an increase in the cases where nationals are lured away overseas to be kidnapped and ransom to be demanded. 

Ministry Committed to Keep Threat to a Minimum

The Ministry of Public Security said China would continue to tighten its restrictions on cross-border gambling and focus on overseas gambling groups that continue to target Chinese nationals. The country’s statement read:

“Over the past year, the Ministry of Public Security partnered with the relevant ministries to put the crackdown and governance of cross-border gambling in full swing by multiple means, successfully wiping out the gambling recruitment and attraction networks, money laundering and other illegal monetary channels of many large, overseas gambling groups in China.”

China’s Ministry of Public Security

The government has successfully suspended most advertisement efforts from those same cross-border gambling groups, including their websites and apps. The country continues to add new operators and names onto its blacklist and focuses on the safety and well-being of its citizens around the clock. All efforts are made to rid China of cross-border gambling offenses, the ministry concluded.