Chinese "poker" den raided
An illegal $45m gambling operation in China has been raided by police following investigation.
Police in China have stormed a criminal gambling den that had been posing as a poker room. Following a police investigation the club was successfully exposed as offering more than just cards.
As well as legitimately staging games of Texas Hold'em, the Wuhan PK365 Club also offered a whole host of illegal gambling opportunities.
The club, believed to be run by a highly organised criminal gang, is said to have made over 300m Yuan ($45m) in the first six months of 2015, after supposedly targeting China's newly educated middle class, with ninety percent of club members holding university degrees. This clientele and the incredible sum generated alerted suspicious authorities who then launched the raid operation.
During the bust, officers found seventeen gaming tables along with two VIP rooms and arrested 140 gamblers and staff. It is believed that 21 members of the gang were also detained.
Legalities
With the notable exception of the island of Macau, gambling is forbidden in China. Yet, in the Chinese province of Hubei, poker is ruled as a game of skill and so, unlike many other parts of the mainland, is legal.
This has allowed gambling dens, and casinos run from personal flats, to spring up disguised as poker rooms without alerting the authorities. However this latest bust, unlikely to be a unique case, could lead to a further legal clampdown.
According to provincial public security bureau reports, investigations surrounding the case could last for many months.
