Chinese police handled more than 50,000 criminal cases and over 400,000 offenses related to prostitution and gambling in 2022, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement reported on March 27, 20231. The figures cover both fields together; the ministry did not break them down between prostitution and gambling1.
The ministry said such crimes are increasingly moving onto the internet, and that police have kept up a clampdown on the offenses it considers most prominent in these areas1. On the gambling side, it said enforcement targeted underground casinos, online gambling and new types of gambling facilities1. On prostitution, police focused on people who organize it and on those who solicit it online1.
"dealing with more than 50,000 related criminal cases and over 400,000 offenses in 2022"
The ministry said police will follow up key cases and outstanding problems in these fields and strengthen coordination between departments to maintain law and order, adding that China will keep a zero tolerance policy toward criminal prostitution and gambling activity1. The statement gave no provincial or city breakdown, no list of named cases, and no figures for arrests, convictions or sums of money involved; those details have not been reported1.
What it means for players
The statement confirms that gambling enforcement in China is aimed at organizers and at online operations rather than at any single type of venue, and that underground casinos and online gambling are named priorities1. For anyone in China, that framing matters because the law it sits under is the same one that applies to players: gambling penalties in China cover participation as well as organization, and the practical position for residents and visitors is set out in Can I Gamble in China?.
The ministry's reference to crimes migrating online points at the channels most players actually encounter, including online casinos accessible in China and apps and sites run from outside the mainland. Enforcement against offshore operators and their local agents is covered in crackdowns on offshore online gambling hubs in Asia, and the wider legal picture across the region is in Gambling Laws in Asia and Is Online Gambling Legal in Asia?.
Two practical consequences follow from the numbers. First, the volume of cases indicates that investigations are reaching individual users and intermediaries, not only large operators; cases where players have been arrested are collected in Have Players Been Arrested for Online Gambling in Asia?. Second, sites that operate outside Chinese jurisdiction carry their own risks, including refusal to pay, which is covered in when an online gambling site won't pay out and fake and rigged online casinos.
What happens next
The ministry said police will continue to pursue key cases and outstanding problems in these fields and will strengthen cross-departmental coordination, and that China will maintain a zero tolerance policy toward criminal prostitution and gambling activity1. No timetable, targets or further announcements were given1.
Sources1 sources
- China continues crackdown on prostitution, gambling, english.www.gov.cn
