Online gambling bust in China

Shanghai Police have detained 43 suspects accused of running an online gambling ring which is thought to have wagered around 1.7 billion Yuan (US$276 million) through online casinos.

According to the Shanghai Daily newspaper, of the 23 gamblers and 30 agents detained, 26 were kept in criminal detention, 13 were fined and 4 were released on bail.

The operation was discovered when a deeply-in-debt gambler approached the Police after being kept against his will by gambling agents.  He was released after he managed to rustle up and pay 200 000 of the 800 000 Yuan he owed.

The suspected king-pins of the operation are a couple surnamed Zhou who despite having no job, bought a villa, own a luxury car and received 3.72 million Yuan in just one week, police said.

The problem is seemingly wide-spread with Baoshan District Police saying they had received reports of several similar cases where relocated residents in the area who had been given properties and compensation after the Government demolished their houses had been targeted by the ring.

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