Liaoning police issue notice cracking down on gambling crimes

The Liaoning Provincial Public Security Department issued a notice dated January 20, 2023, prohibiting all forms of gambling and setting out criminal liability for those who run or support it. The document, numbered Liaogongtong [2023] No. 7 and titled "Notice on Severely Cracking Down on Illegal and Criminal Gambling Activities," was published on the department's website on January 31, 2023¹.

The notice states that national law strictly prohibits gambling and that no unit or individual may use mahjong, playing cards, dominoes, dice, underground "Mark Six," electronic gaming machines, computer networks, WeChat red packets or any other form to carry out illegal and criminal gambling activities¹. It says that running a gambling website on a computer network for profit, organizing gambling through WeChat or mobile apps, or acting as an agent for a gambling website and accepting bets constitutes the crime of operating a casino and will be pursued for criminal responsibility¹.

The notice names rural and peri-urban locations as priorities: complex rural areas, the urban-rural fringe, mountain and forest land, remote homes, shops and ancestral halls, work sheds and fish ponds, farms and abandoned factories¹. It says police will deploy officers against people who use the Spring Festival, temple fairs and holiday gatherings to set up mobile casinos in villages, gather people to gamble, provide conditions for gambling, or take a cut of illegal profits¹.

It also addresses venues and public officials. Operators and staff of clubs, guesthouses, hotels, teahouses, activity centers, chess and card rooms and amusement rooms must stop gambling they find on their premises and report it to local police, and must not provide convenience or tip off gamblers¹. Party members, cadres and public officials who gamble will be referred to discipline and supervision departments in addition to any legal liability¹. The notice offers lighter or reduced punishment, or exemption, to those who surrender to police, report others whose offenses are verified, assist in solving other cases, or were coerced or tricked into gambling¹. It took effect on the date of issue¹. The notice says it continues the "Qingfeng 2023" special campaign¹.

What it means for players

The notice covers gambling in Liaoning province, not China as a whole, and it restates existing criminal and administrative law rather than creating a new offense. Its practical reach is broad: it names private games using mahjong, cards, dice and WeChat red packets alongside casino-style operations, and it treats online betting sites, their agents and anyone who accepts bets as casino operators. People who provide a venue, chips, money, transport for gamblers, lookouts, betting collection, chip exchange, network access, communications tools or settlement of gambling funds for someone they know to be gambling can also face legal liability¹. Venue staff who fail to report gambling on their premises, or who warn gamblers, are covered too. Public officials face an additional referral to discipline authorities. The notice does not set out specific penalties or fine amounts, and no enforcement figures for the campaign have been reported.

What happens next

The notice took effect on January 20, 2023, the date it was issued, and remains the department's published position¹. It states that police will organize forces to investigate and punish the rural and holiday gambling activity it describes, and that verified reports of major gambling leads will be rewarded¹. No end date for the "Qingfeng 2023" campaign is given in the notice, and no further steps have been reported.

For background on the legal position, see Can I Gamble in China?, What Happens If You Are Caught Gambling in China, Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions, Is Online Gambling Legal in Asia? The 12 Jurisdictions Compared and Crackdowns on Offshore Online Gambling Hubs in Asia.