China police announce major intl gambling bust

WUHAN - Multinational police have busted a major international online gambling ring with a turnover of around 11 billion yuan (about 1.75 billion U.S. dollars), said police in central China's Hubei Province on Thursday.

Police from China, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar jointly spent over two years cracking the case, which involved more than 500 Chinese and foreign people, according to the Public Security Bureau of Jingzhou City.

To date, police have collected over 32 million yuan in gambling money and captured 27 suspects, all Chinese.

Of the 27, three main suspects were escorted from Vietnam to China on October 22.

In October 2010, Jingzhou police received a report of online baccarat gambling activities in a hotel in the city's Shashi District.

With a server installed in Cambodia, the gambling ring formed a nationwide gambling network with 120 agents, according to the preliminary investigation.

A total of over 400 people have been found involved in the associated gambling activities in China.