China is stepping up its efforts to shut down the outlaw gambling websites operating in the country and deny them access in the future.
Minister of Public Security Zhao Ke Zhi has called for creation of a blacklist of sites, all of which are illegal in China, where gambling is banned with the exception of two state-sponsored lotteries, and said that increased scrutiny of financial transactions will be implemented to cut off the flow of gambling funds.
As part of the push, he also has called for “joint strike” operations in cooperation with the jurisdictions where most of the sites are located.
In countries like Cambodia and Malaysia, where China is a major trading partner and investor, police in 2019 conducted several raids targeting China-facing gambling sites. Cambodia outlawed online gambling last summer and has since closed dozens of casinos that hosted the operations.
However, in the Philippines, a major base for operators targeting China, President Rodrigo Duterte has declined to cooperate, saying it would cost jobs. In retaliation, Beijing last month canceled the passports of its citizens working for the businesses there. Those individuals, because of their suspected involvement in activity China considers a crime, are no longer able to leave the country.
