Chinese Anti – Gambling Campaigns Lead to Police Raid on Cemetery and Arrest of Octogenarian

(AsiaGameHub) –   Law enforcement authorities in Hong Kong and Mainland Chinese provinces are intensifying crackdowns on unlawful gambling activities in public spaces, with dozens of people taken into custody via a series of targeted raids.

According to reports from Chinese media outlet China.com, Hong Kong police launched an operation on April 16 to dismantle an illegal street gambling syndicate operating in Kwai Chung.

Police confirmed four Hong Kong residents were arrested at the scene. All suspects are male, ranging in age from 68 at the youngest to 82 at the oldest.

Investigators stated they seized gambling equipment and an unrevealed sum of cash during the operation.

Cases of all the arrested individuals will be heard jointly at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on April 30.

Gambling Crackdown Efforts Across China

Separately, in Hangzhou province, the provincial Public Security Bureau reported that police in Xindeng utilized drone technology to identify and arrest a group of people suspected of gambling at a hillside pavilion inside a public cemetery.

Police said they took 13 people into custody and confiscated 10,000 yuan (nearly $1,470) worth of gambling proceeds. Officers also seized assorted gambling equipment at the site.

Detectives noted the suspects selected the spot because it was isolated and hard to access. But after police spotted a suspicious group of people gathering at the pavilion on April 14, they deployed a drone.

Five minutes later, officers said, the drone transmitted “clear footage of several people assembled in the pavilion placing wagers.”

Officers confirmed they have charged all suspects with gambling-related offenses, adding that the investigation is still ongoing.

Rising Occurrence of Forest Gambling

Police across China say they are cracking down on a sharp increase in the so-called “forest gambling” activity.

This form of gambling usually involves groups of bettors arranging to meet in remote, mostly rural locations. The gamblers reportedly believe unlawful gambling is low-risk if conducted in areas that police do not regularly patrol.

But Chinese police note they now have access to a wide range of drone-powered technologies that help them search for groups of gamblers in woodland areas, abandoned structures, lakeside resorts and mountainous zones.

Some police agencies have also dispatched small teams of officers to carry out daily outdoor foot patrols in remote and semi-rural areas.

These patrols typically monitor activities in narrow small village alleys and deep forested areas to curb the growth of “forest gambling” rings.