Police in Shanghai have broken up a ¥80 billion (US$13 billion) gambling ring they say was funneling bets through eight Macau Web sites.
Seventeen people were charged in Huangpu District People’s Court in connection with the operation, which dates back to 2011, police said. The accused include the alleged ringleaders, 10 alleged agents and a handful of others, some accused of recruiting gamblers and others who worked as drivers, accountants and cashiers.
It wasn’t entirely clear how the ring did business, according to news reports. One of the men who allegedly headed the operation testified that gamblers were recruited in China to play on the sites through accounts and passwords the organization provided, with the various accounts distributed among a broad network of agents and sub-agents who worked on commissions plus a percentage of their players’ losses.
Two of the accused ringleaders are on probation for a prior conviction of running an illegal casino, reports said, and are expected to receive stiff sentences if found guilty of the new charges.
