The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has released a four-pronged plan to curb offshore gambling.
At a recent meeting of the National Working Group on Combating and Governing Cross-border Gambling Networks, CAC Deputy Director Niu Yibing called on all departments to “further improve their political positions, strengthen their sense of responsibility and urgency in cracking down on governance, and earnestly regard cracking down on cross-border online gambling as an important political task in the practice of ‘two safeguards.’”
As reported by Inside Asian Gaming, the group will first go after offshore operators that try to entice mainland gamblers through online promotions, livestreams, social media and other platforms. The CAC vowed to punish online platforms that provide paid promotion services for overseas gambling and disseminate “harmful information related to gambling.”
Second, the CAC will monitor blockchain platforms and crack down on providers of server hosting, cloud storage, communications and VPN services for online gambling activities.
Third, it will ask internet users to actively report illegal websites.
Finally, the CAC described a “game of chess” in which departments will work together to “resolutely curb the spread of cross-border online gambling activities, and create a good online atmosphere and social environment for celebrating the centenary of the founding of the party and the smooth start of the 14th Five-Year Plan.”
The CAC called the prevention of cross-border online gaming a major political goal that will help maintain economic security and social stability.
