Items seized in a cross-border gambling case such as SIM cards, bank cards, computers and cell phones, are on display at a police bureau in Huizhou, South China's Guangdong Province on October 10, 2020. Photo: Wang Qi/GT

During a special operation against rural gambling, public security agencies nationwide have cracked down on more than 10,000 criminal cases and 75,000 public security cases related to rural gambling, confiscating 740 million yuan ($105.6 million) of illicit gambling proceeds, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said on Wednesday.

Starting from November 2022, the MPS launched the special campaign, demanding local public security agencies to thoroughly investigate major cases of setting up casinos and group gambling, focusing on rectifying illegal activities linked to rural gambling.

The MPS publicized 10 typical cases of rural gambling-related illegal and criminal activities.

Qi Xiguo, a senior inspector from the MPS's Public Security Management Bureau, said after nearly half a year of targeted operations, rural gambling has been somewhat curbed, with police reports of rural gambling down 23.1 percent, effectively improving social climate and the public security environment in rural areas.

All the 91 rural casino cases under supervision by the MPS have been addressed, prompting the deep investigation of more than 2,800 gang-related underground casino cases and disbanding of more than 5,100 gangs.

Moreover, public security agencies, along with related departments, have strengthened inspection of hot spot areas, conducted undercover investigations and promptly eliminated risks. Police inspected 523,000 key locations, investigated 274,000 venues and gambling sites using both open and clandestine methods countering 51,000 previously unknown incidents.

Qi stated that rural gambling is still rampant in some remote parts of the country, with organized gambling being the main form. Rural gambling activities often involve those with a record of gambling, chronic gamblers and jobless people.

During the Spring Festival holidays in 2023, people returning hometown became the main group involved in organized gambling. According to statistics, organized gambling cases investigated by local public security agencies accounted for more than 60 percent of rural gambling-related criminal cases during the special campaign.

With the improvement of rural transportation infrastructure and farmers' income, some "professional" gambling gangs chose to set up mobile casinos in rural areas through tightened organizations and clear division of labor from planning and choosing locations to managing debts.

Open data showed that there are hundreds of types of rural gambling, in addition to traditional gambling methods such as chess, mahjong and betting, online gambling has started to spread in rural areas in recent years, with a larger coverage and stronger temptation.

Qi said that the gambling problems in rural areas are still recurring frequently. The task of preventing risks and rebounds in the work of prohibiting gambling remains arduous and complicated and that public security agencies will further deepen the special crackdown and strengthen rectification in key areas.

Global Times