Turn Yourself in and Receive Lighter Punishments, Chinese Prosecutors Tell Gambling Suspects

Chinese prosecutors in Hainan Province have told 30 people suspected of running underground betting dens and organizing illegal lottery events that they must surrender to police or face longer jail terms.

The warning was published by the province’s Department of Public Security, the Chinese media outlet The Paper reported.

The move is the second of its kind, following a similar appeal launched on June 18, 2025. At the time, prosecution officials told 27 at-large gambling suspects to turn themselves in and receive clemency in the courts.

The province said as a result of the appeal, it apprehended 20 of the people on the list. Officials said 11 of the suspects surrendered voluntarily. Another nine were subsequently arrested after an intensified manhunt.

The security department said that the group of 30 people has 30 days, as of February 3, to voluntarily surrender to the public security organs, branches of the People’s Procuratorate, or courts.

It encouraged them to “truthfully confess their crimes,” stating that those who do so will receive favorable treatment.

Chinese Prosecutors: Minor Offenders May Be Excused

“Suspects accused of minor offences may be exempted from punishment altogether,” the department said. The department mentioned “lenient or reduced punishments” for those who choose to accept the voluntary surrender offer.

But prosecutors warned that the suspects who “refuse” to take advantage of the offer “will be severely punished in accordance with the law.”

The department also called on members of the public to inform the authorities of the suspects’ whereabouts. It said that any citizen who has information about a criminal suspect who has not yet been apprehended “has an obligation to report it to the public security authorities.”

Prosecutors promised would-be informants anonymity and legal protection.

“Anyone who threatens or retaliates against informants will be held criminally liable,” the department said.

Bitcoin Trial Continues

Earlier this year, a court in Changge, Henan Province, began the trial of an IT security expert accused of draining crypto from an overseas betting platform.

Prosecution officials say the man illegally downloaded personal data belonging to scores of Chinese citizens as part of his bid to steal millions of dollars’ worth of Bitcoin.

Officials have seized Bitcoin worth around $17 million from the man, who denies all wrongdoing. The defendant’s legal team says police coerced him into confessing to the crime by threatening action against his then-pregnant wife.