Chinese Police Say They Are Using Drones to Hunt Gambling Dens in Rural Areas

Chinese police say they are using drones to track down gambling den operators who try to evade detection by hiding in remote or rural areas.

The Chinese news outlet Legal Daily reported that officers at the Guiyang Baihua Lake Police Station, in the Guanshanhu District of Guiyang, are using new IT-powered methods to scour the countryside.

Their focus is centered on areas such as Lake Baihua, which is home to approximately 108 mostly uninhabited islands.

Chinese Drones: Now Hunting Illegal Gamblers

Officers say they are investigating a phenomenon dubbed “forest gambling.” This involves groups of bettors heading to remote areas to gamble in places they believe the police will not patrol.

Police in the Lake Baihua area stated that they are aware that conventional patrolling methods are ineffective in mountainous areas that also feature vast bodies of water.

Instead, they said they have begun supplementing regular patrols with drone surveillance methods.

This new model, they claim, has enabled them to establish a comprehensive network for anti-gambling protection. And this, they say, will let them find more forest gambling groups.

Baihua Lake Police Station also said that its officers have begun conducting daily outdoor walking patrols to monitor small, narrow village alleys and some deep forest areas that drones and vehicles cannot access.

However, the new drone-powered system enables officers to conduct thorough inspections of mountain woodlands, slopes, and valleys. Officers can also check on abandoned houses, which are often used as makeshift gambling dens.

IT Advances Help Ensure Fast Response Times

Officers said they use drones equipped with high-definition cameras and voice-activated controls to create three-dimensional images.

If drone footage provides them with evidence of suspicious-looking gatherings in dense forest areas, officers dispatch fast-response units.

Guanshanhu’s Public Security Bureau said it would continue to develop its drone technology-powered solutions.

This will help the Bureau step up the intensity of its investigations into forest gambling and other illegal activities, the Bureau said.

It added that it would continue to prioritize public security and crack down on illegal activity in the district.

According to government statistics, China accounted for nearly 14% of the world’s drone market revenue in 2024, generating a combined total of $9,722.0 million last year. The country is home to around 19,000 drone-producing firms, many of which are heavily subsidized by the government.

The popularity of gambling, however, continues to grow, despite bans and crackdowns. Earlier this year, the nation’s Communist Party sanctioned two cadres found guilty of gambling in their spare time.