China cracks online betting ring http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060705/wr_nm/soccer_world_china_dc_2
BEIJING (Reuters) - Police in China's southwestern province of Sichuan have brought down a 1 billion yuan ($125 million) soccer gambling ring, a Chinese newspaper reported on Wednesday, as World Cup betting reaches fever pitch. Gambling has been illegal in mainland China since the Communists took power in 1949, but the country's absence from the World Cup finals has not prevented many Chinese enjoying a flutter. An online betting Web site set up in Hong Kong by an "underground" company and run in Sichuan's capital Chengdu had over 2000 registered users from across the country, the Beijing News said. On June 22, Police detained over 20 suspects involved in the syndicate, which, from July 2005, had received bets totaling over 1 billion yuan, the paper said. Chinese police launched a major crackdown on illicit soccer betting earlier this year, but Web sites offering gambling accounts and mainland phone numbers are readily accessible despite China's estimated 30,000-strong army of online censors. In 2004, police broke up an online betting syndicate in southeastern Fujian province estimated to have attracted 13.6 billion yuan (922 million pounds) in one month. ($1=7.991 Yuan) Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
