China's revised Public Security Administration Punishments Law entered into force on 1 January 2026, after the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress adopted the revision on 27 June 20251. The law sets the administrative penalties, including detention and fines, that police can apply to conduct that is not serious enough to be a crime.
The law also states that gambling equipment and gambling money seized in handling public security cases shall be confiscated and dealt with according to regulations1.
For foreigners who breach public security administration, the law allows an additional penalty of a time-limited order to leave the country or deportation1. The same article lists the categories of penalty: warning, fine, administrative detention, and revocation of licenses issued by public security organs1.
The revision was adopted at the 16th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress, according to the text published on the NPC website1.
"本法自2026年1月1日起施行。"
The law does not define what amount counts as "relatively large" gambling money, and no threshold figure appears in the published text1. It also does not set out separate penalties for online gambling, and no such provision has been reported1.
What it means for players
The law applies to conduct inside mainland China, including on Chinese ships and aircraft, and to conduct on foreign ships and aircraft where China has jurisdiction under international treaties it has signed1. For residents, expats and visitors in mainland China, the practical effect is that police can impose detention or fines for providing gambling conditions for profit or for gambling with what the law calls a relatively large amount of money, and can confiscate gambling equipment and money involved1. Foreign nationals face the added possibility of being ordered to leave within a set period or deported1. The text does not state a money threshold, so the point at which a bet becomes "relatively large" is not fixed in the law itself1. The law covers public security penalties only; conduct serious enough to be a crime is handled under criminal law, and the law states that administrative punishment cannot replace criminal punishment1.
What happens next
The law took effect on 1 January 20261. No further implementing rules, threshold figures or enforcement guidance have been reported1.
For how this fits with the region's rules, see Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions and Can I Gamble in China?.
Sources1 sources
- 中华人民共和国治安管理处罚法_中国人大网, npc.gov.cn
