Police in both Beijing and south China's Guangdong Province have dealt soccer gambling
rings a crushing blow.
The Beijing municipal public security bureau caught the general
agent of an overseas gambling company on the Chinese mainland.
So far, Beijing police have cracked down on four criminal gangs
and caught 24 suspects that organized online World Cup gambling
parties, said the bureau in a news release.
Guo, only known by his surname, is the highest-level agent of an
overseas gambling company on the Chinese mainland. He has developed
three levels of agents under him since 2003.
Evidence showed that a third-class agent under him conducted
3,328 deals during January and February this year, involving 108
million yuan (US$13.5 million) in bets.
The agents received frequent bets on World Cup games.
Police found evidence on a seized computer that shows that more
than 17 million yuan (US$2.1 million) were bet on the games in
June.
Guo confessed to police that he began to organize online
gambling parties in 2003 with online gambling management platforms
provided by an overseas company.
They did not take bets from strangers, but rather, from
relatives and friends, police officer Jin Xiang was quoted by
Beijing Youth Daily as saying.
Agents earned money from bets received by lower-level agents,
Jin said.
With the final game yet to come, the police will keep a close
eye on the Internet around the clock to crack down on gambling
gangs.
Meanwhile, Guangdong police announced that they had detained
about 100 suspects after busting several large soccer-betting gangs
in major cities in the Pearl River Delta since the beginning of
July.
The suspects include nine residents from Taiwan, Hong Kong and
Macao.
More than 2.38 million yuan (US$297,500) in betting chips, as
well as many computers, sedan cars, credit cards and other betting
equipment were seized, according to a police officer from Guangdong
provincial bureau of public security on Friday.
"The July crackdown has dealt a heavy blow to the province's
illegal soccer betting events, which had been active in Guangdong
since the World Cup opened in early June," said police officer Tan
Jin.
The crackdown has helped consolidate Guangdong's great
achievements in fighting underground soccer gambling while
demonstrating the police's determination to fight the illegal
activity, Tan added.
Guangdong police have expanded their cooperation with their
counterparts in bordering Hong Kong and Macao to fight illegal
soccer betting in recent months.
Forty-three soccer gamblers, including three Taiwan residents,
were detained in Shenzhen in an operation including 156 police
officers on July 5.
More than 1.3 million yuan (US$162,500) plus 150,000 Hong Kong
dollars (US$19,280) in betting chips was seized in two secret
locations in the southern metropolis.
Another 5.7 million yuan (US$712,500) was frozen in a bank
account.
Police also confiscated 29 computers and five sedan cars during
the operation.
Meanwhile, police from the city of Dongguan also detained two
Taiwan residents and seized a number of credit cards in an
operation on the same day.
Dongguan police are believed to have busted a large soccer
betting gang that was once run by Taiwan residents and used to be
active in the city.
On July 4, Foshan police smashed another large soccer betting
gang, detaining 33 suspects.
A total of 265 police officers participated in the special
operation.
Cash to the value of 650,000 yuan (US$81,250), 35 computers and
numerous credit cards were seized at the sites.
Police also froze a bank account holding more than 6 million
yuan (US$750,000).
In another operation in Zhuhai on July 2, police detained six
suspects, including four from overseas, after a large soccer
betting gang was busted. The gang started operating in the city
last September.
More than 430,000 yuan (US$53,750), 20 credit cards and a large
number of betting bills were seized in the operation.
(China Daily July 8, 2006)