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Friday, Jan. 21, 2005

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  The Ministry of Security said the gambling network, spanning 22 provinces and major cities, was allegedly run by a Taiwan-based company in collaboration with criminal syndicates on the Chinese mainland, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Altogether, 395 people suspected of organizing the network and 202 suspected gamblers have been detained, the state-run newspaper China Daily reported.

In Shanghai, police detained 87 people suspected of involvement in the gambling ring, it said. In nearby Jiangsu province, 106 people were detained and $20 million in gambling money and suspected gambling proceeds were seized, the reports said.

China launched a campaign against gambling last week, targeting overseas gambling, online gambling and illegal lotteries.

State-authorized lotteries, widespread throughout China, apparently are not affected by the ban. Nor are private gambling activities in people's homes, the China Daily said.

The popular custom of betting while playing cards or the traditional game of mahjong with friends and relatives is regarded as a form of entertainment and thus also not subject to the crackdown, the newspaper cited Tong Jianming, a police official, as saying.

Tong said the government planned to issue documents soon explaining which activities were allowed and which were illegal.

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