China's Ministry of Public Security announced on July 21, 2022 that nationwide police have dismantled more than 960 gambling and prostitution crime gangs and solved over 790 major criminal cases since the start of the summer "Hundred Days Action" on public security1. The figures cover the period since the campaign began; the announcement did not give a start date for the action1.
The ministry said it jointly supervised more than 70 major cases with the national office against pornography and illegal publications, and that police had cleared out prostitution venues, prostitution dens, mobile casinos and gambling and pornography websites1. It listed the offenses targeted as organizing prostitution, soliciting prostitution online and by card, running casinos, gathering people to gamble and distributing obscene material1.
Provincial operations produced specific results. Tianjin, Shanxi and Anhui ran staggered raids on local roaming gambling groups and destroyed more than 30 open-air mobile casinos1. Fujian detained more than 100 suspects and identified 13.1 billion yuan in involved funds1. Zhejiang shut down four printing, design and sales sites in a crackdown on the source of prostitution cards1. Shanghai, Hainan and Guangxi each organized cross-province raids and solved multiple cases of online casino operation using illegal lotteries and board and card games1.
The ministry said inspections focused on urban-rural fringe areas and "urban villages," and on saunas and bathhouses, hotels and guesthouses, song and dance entertainment venues, rental housing and card and tea rooms1. Beijing, Hunan, Sichuan and Qinghai ran concentrated inspections of key industry venues and shut down or ordered rectification of venues with gambling and prostitution problems, while Inner Mongolia, Jiangsu, Henan, Hubei and Guangdong broke up several cross-regional prostitution and group lewdness gangs1.
"打掉黄赌犯罪团伙960余个"
What it means for players
The announcement describes enforcement against organizers and venues, not against individual gamblers, and it does not state any new penalty for players1. It confirms that police activity in this period targeted online casino operations built on illegal lotteries and board and card games, and open-air mobile casinos in rural areas1. Venues named as inspection targets include saunas and bathhouses, hotels and guesthouses, entertainment venues, rental housing and card and tea rooms1. The announcement does not say how long the campaign will run, what penalties venues face, or whether any of the detained suspects have been charged1. For the legal position on gambling in China, see Can I Gamble in China? and Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions.
What happens next
The ministry said police will maintain a high-pressure posture against gambling and prostitution crimes, keep up regional operations and concentrated raids, and strengthen departmental coordination and comprehensive governance1. No end date for the Hundred Days Action, and no further figures, have been reported1.
Sources1 sources
- 公安部：“百日行动”以来打掉黄赌犯罪团伙960余个-新华网, news.cn
