China cracks down on online gambling

Wang Chen, the Minister for the Information Office, said that a nationwide crackdown on illegal sites has been in force to protect the country against various network security issues, including viruses, identity theft and money laundering. Chen also said that the heightened enforcement will “improve the cultural environment on the Internet”.
 
Groups that advocate online freedom view the policies as “The Great Firewall of China”. Although China does control territories such as Hong Kong and Macau, which have legal casino gaming, the government has been stringent in allowing its citizens access to many aspects of the internet, including online gaming sites.
 
The enforcement of these censorship restrictions has led to investigations of more than 150 online gaming sites. Many of the sites under investigation are based within China and specialize in sports betting. Some sites provide casino gaming software and simulate slot machines, card games and other games of chance popular within the region.
 
“The role of (the Chinese Communist) party and government is to vigorously promote a civilized Internet operating under standard Internet communication order,” read a portion of the Chen statement. Government officials shut down more than 60,000 websites, with another 1,700 under investigation for “illegal content”.