China reverses rising trend of cross-border gambling

Photo taken on Jan. 6, 2021 shows police cars ready for a night patrol mission in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province. (Xinhua/Xu Chang)

BEIJING, May 7 (Xinhua) -- China has reversed the rising trend of cross-border gambling through multiple nationwide and special operations since 2020, the Ministry of Public Security said Friday.

Chinese police have investigated 18,000 cross-border gambling and gambling-related criminal cases and apprehended more than 110,000 suspects during the operations, figures from the ministry showed.

More than 3,400 online gambling platforms, over 2,800 illegal payment platforms and underground banks, some 1,400 illegal technical teams and more than 2,200 gambling promotion platforms were broken up, it added.

The ministry on Friday launched a week-long awareness campaign nationwide to combat cross-border gambling, reminding the public to avoid being duped into such illegal activities by criminals, which may pose a threat to their interests and safety.

The ministry said it welcomes tip-offs from the public via its online platform for reporting cross-border gambling cases.