China arrests 597 in Internet gambling case

[oldman]

China has smashed a major clandestine online gambling company, arrested 597 suspects nation-wide and seized $2.8 million in cash, the Ministry of Public Security has announced.

Police have seized 23 million yuan ($2.8 million) of gambling money and 597 suspects from 22 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, it said.

A total of 218 suspects have been detained, some 500 million yuan remain suspected as gambling capital and three guns were also seized, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.

It said that a Taiwan-based gambling company has been colluding with some criminals on the Chinese mainland to carry out gambling activities since March 2004 in the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.

In the Chinese capital, Beijing, police uncovered Wang Xin, a local agent for the Taiwanese company, and several other suspects and 116 million yuan of suspected gambling money.

Police in China's largest city, Shanghai, seized 87 suspects and 11.71 million yuan of gambling money and 80 million of suspected gambling money.

In east China's Jiangsu Province, 106 suspects, 7.3 million yuan of gambling money and 160 million yuan of suspected gambling money were seized.

The news of the break-up of the gambling gang has come amid a nation-wide campaign against gambling websites - both domestic and foreign.

What do you think about this?! Why do post-communist countries tend to go radically-mad when it comes to state policy directed against anything (economics, social field, culture)..? I've had more respect towards China's progress...