Chinese authorities are intensifying their effort in an attempt to put a stop to illegal internet gambling in the country. Recently, police in the eastern part of China tracked and apprehended 56 suspects believed to be behind an illegal internet gambling ring worth 7.8 billion Yuan.
The raid was conducted on Aug. 19 in the Chinese province of Jiangsu. The suspects were accused of taking more than 650 million Yuan. The suspects were preying on a Philippine-based online gaming platform which had more than 114,000 registered users.
Authorities claim that the investigation about the illegal gambling ring started in January 2016. The investigation was launched after the authorities received a tip from an unnamed informant. Moreover, four of the prime suspects were eventually tracked down using their bank card information.
As of this writing, the Jiangsu police that conducted the investigation and the subsequent raid still has not released an official statement.
China has long since imposed its ban on casino gambling. This move has prompted gamblers, as well as illegal gambling operators, to travel to the special administrative region of Macau which is located near the southern border of China's Guangdong province.
In total, 50 suspects believed to be involved in the illegal online gambling case were arrested in various locations including Shanghai, Guangdong, Fujian, and Zhejiang. Additional, six more returned to China from the Philippines and surrendered themselves to the authorities. Reports claim that all the suspects are now being processed for prosecution.
China's effort to curb illegal gambling also encompasses the digital world. Recently, tech giant Apple confirms that the company has removed more than 25,000 illegal gambling apps from its App Store in China. Apple also added that it has imposed a ban on the developers that uploaded the apps in the company's virtual store.
The Chinese state broadcaster CCTV confirmed Apple's decision to remove and ban illegal gambling apps on the App Store.
In a statement released the media, Apple explained that its latest move is part of the company's effort to address fraudulent activities on the App Store. The tech giant added that it is also complying with various government's request to address illegal gambling activities. Lastly, the company said that it will no longer allow gambling apps developed by individual developers to be added to the App Store.
