Gambling crackdown in China’s entertainment venues

BEIJING – 76 entertainment venues have been shut down across China while 26 others had their operations suspended during a crackdown on gambling launched by the Ministry of Culture (MOC), Chinese media outlets reported.

This year 100,000 law enforcement officers have investigated more than 38,000 entertainment venues nationwide and busted 355 cases, according to the China Youth Daily.

MOC reported on the news “any entertainment venues that allow their customers to gamble or contain video machines on which people can gamble will be shut down and have their business licenses revoked.”, as Gambling is banned in China.

The authorities have joined forces with Philippines to persecute transnational cyber gambling operations that have multiplied in the Southeast Asian country.

An official with the ministry said “the next step will be to expand inspection nationwide in a bid to standardize the market”.

The ministry encourages the public to report illegal activities.