67 on trial over enormous online soccer betting ring
Print Edition
SOME 67 alleged members of an online soccer betting ring are standing trial in south China’s Guangdong Province, in one of China’s largest online gambling cases.
The case has been heard at Liwan District People’s Procuratorate in Guangzhou city since March 11.
Investigators claim the gang illegally opened online casinos and attracted bets valued at 484 billion yuan (US$77.7 billion) from March 2008 to April 2013. Most of their illegal earnings were transferred overseas, claim investigators.
Gambling has been outlawed on the Chinese mainland since 1949, but in recent years sports events such as the World Cup have proved too tempting for some betting fans.
The betting ring allegedly operated via gambling websites, including Huangguan and Yongligao, which are registered outside China.
Those accused are said to have used overseas websites to entice gamblers to place bets, taking commission.
According to prosecutors, the ring was run within a circle of friends and relatives like a pyramid selling scheme.
Dragged down
“In many previous cases, we only seized those at the lowest level. This time, suspects come from all tiers,” said Li Fan, prosecutor of the case.
Among the accused are formerly respectable white collar workers dragged down by gambling, Li said.
One suspect, surnamed Wang, used to be a community worker and was a volunteer at the Guangzhou Asian Games.
He started betting on soccer matches by telephone during the 2006 World Cup. In 2011, he joined the gambling ring where he persuaded other gamblers to lay bets totalling 1.43 million yuan (US$229,000) in just 18 months, it is claimed.
“We are trying to recover their illegal earnings, and end their money laundering operation, to make it harder for them to continue their illegal business after they finish prison terms,” Li said.
“Otherwise, they can easily rent a new server or just change the names of the websites.”
Prosecutors want network operators to set up warnings for visitors to suspected gambling websites.
Education on the issue is also vital, said prosecutors.
“Some of the suspects were not aware of that they were committing a serious crime,” said prosecutor Wu Yaping.
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