Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau announced it has broken up the biggest online gambling operation in history, arresting the operation’s leader and 52 others while seizing over NT billion—about .49 million—in bets.
The bureau said it has launched a crackdown on underground gambling websites as presidential and legislative elections approach to ensure that no rogue elements try to influence the outcome of the elections, which many illegal sites accept bets on, the China Post reported.
The bureau used more than 300 police officers Monday to raid 55 locations around the country and said it used an M-Police app at its special command center to work with local police and technical experts to gain access to the 55 locations.
A 35-year-old man Kao Hung-yu, believed to be the mastermind of the gambling ring, was arrested, along with 52 other suspects, the CIB said.
Kao admitted to online gambling but denied that he was engaged in election betting, the bureau said.
