Guangdong gears up for illegal betting during European Cup

The Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department (GPPSD) revealed that approximately 40,000 people have engaged in illegal football betting schemes, according to a mainland report.
The number corresponds with the detentions made from the beginning of the year until May 15. In total, the GPPSD has dealt with more than 13,700 cases during the mentioned period, which resulted in 1,573 criminal occurrences regarding illegal betting schemes, 2,400 people arrested, 5,395 detained for criminal investigations, and 38,000 detained for further administrative investigations. Most of the disclosed cases that have been investigated can be found in underground casinos in Dongguan, allegedly run by people from Hong Kong.
The GPPSD also explained that a brand new slot machine featuring laptops running gambling applications is becoming popular in Guangdong. The cities that have started using these machines are Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, Meizhou, Huizhou, Dongguan, Jiangmen and Zhongshan.
On May 12, the police investigated a single case which involved RMB275 million.
The GPPSD believes that with the upcoming European Cup, the scope cross-regional illegal online betting will be tremendous. Peng Hui, vice director of the GPPSD, said “every time when the European Cup and other international competitions take place, there is illegal betting.” Hui informed the media that the three regions are organizing regular meetings for sharing information related to these crimes in order to ensure they are well prepared for Euro 2016.
No cases related to Macau have been disclosed.