Online Casino Operators Face Crackdown by Chinese Authorities14 Apr 2007
With the online casino industry always in the news, it is easy to see why many online gambling firms are backing out of this market. There are, however, many online casinos groups that weathering the storm and staying in the game in order to advance their positions in this tumultuous industry. It seems, that like in the US, the Chinese government is taking a strong stance against online casino gaming. Recently, a three-month crackdown was launched on Internet gambling by the Chinese authorities in order to focus on ‘purifying the cyber environment’.
‘The prevalence of online gaming has ruined the online environment and harmed young people’s growth, which runs against the policy of building a harmonious society,’ said a statement issued by the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Information Industry and the State Press and Publication Administration. The statement also said that Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong and Zhejiang are focal points that need to be supervised. Additionally, it was stated that the government should be tougher with online casino games that involve gambling and online casino betting.
The statement continued to suggest that local government departments should only supervise online casino game service providers who are not authorized to exchange ‘virtual money’ with real properties or currencies. But that is not all. These online casino providers must not use it to launder money. During 2006, according to financial statistics, the Chinese police busted a total of 347,000 online casino gaming cases, which involved over 1 million people, redeeming 3.56 million Yuan (approximately US 445 million dollars). In 1949, gambling of all types was outlawed on the Chinese mainland when New China as founded.
| 
Home
