A Chinese man who tried to report his fellow gamblers to the police for cheating during an illegal gaming session has ended up behind bars.
The man, surnamed Wu, was betting on rounds of tui bing zi, a popular tile-based gambling game that makes use of mahjong tiles, at an unnamed location in the city of Anshan, Liaoning Province.
Tui bing zi requires participants to try to outscore a dealer, much like the card game blackjack.
However, during the course of his illegal gambling session with eight other individuals, Wu began to grow suspicious that his fellow players were conspiring to cheat at the game and ensure he kept losing, the Chinese media outlet GWM reported.
Chinese Gamblers: Cheating Row Lands All Parties in Prison
The Liaoning Province’s Haicheng Public Security Bureau said a “farcical situation” ensued when Wu rang a local police station to complain that he had lost 2,300 yuan ($340) during a “rigged” tui bing zi tournament.
He asked the police to “uphold justice” on his behalf. The station dispatched officers to the scene, but found the gambling session had already ended.
However, Wu and two others remained at the scene as the argument continued.
Officers arrested all three individuals. During police questioning, the trio reportedly made full confessions.
Police later arrested a man surnamed Wang, who they said had indeed used “custom-made glasses” to cheat during the tournament.
The bureau jailed Wang for 15 days. But it also jailed Wu and the remaining seven individuals for 10 days for illegal gambling.
The bureau also handed out fines totaling 1,000 yuan (about $150) to all but one of the gamblers. One man, surnamed Zhou, was fined $300 after police discovered he had organized the tournament.
Crime Wave Gathers Intensity
Police across China are currently fighting back against a wave of illegal betting. Gamblers, say detectives, are now congregating in abandoned buildings and remote, rural areas.
Gangs have become highly organized, using encrypted chat apps to arrange clandestine betting sessions and using CCTV equipment to monitor for police.
Betting ring organizers think this will help them avoid detection. However, officers say they are using a wide network of informants and drones to identify and arrest illegal gamblers.
All forms of gambling are illegal in China, with the exception of two state-run national lotteries.
The government classifies both lotteries as forms of government-authorized fundraising.
