Online gambling as bad as being ‘possessed by a demon’, China warns its navy

The Chinese government has struggled to enforce the ban on gambling in the country’s mainland. In 2018, it banned all online poker applications, meaning app stores had to remove all related applications.

But as more rules were brought in technology companies were able to bypass bans using gambling setups designed to evade detection.

These are increasingly prevalent in rural communities, including in Shanxi and Anhui, according to local media reports.

In February, 19 people were arrested in Zhuji City, in the eastern Zhejiang province, for operating an illegal mobile casino close to a graveyard.

Under Chinese law, those who are caught taking part in gambling can be jailed for up to 15 days and fined 3,000 yuan (£325). Meanwhile, organisers of such illicit outlets can be jailed for up to 10 years.

The focus on gambling in the army comes after Beijing launched a series of drives to root out suspected corruption from within the army, including by removing top leaders.

Li Shangfu, the former Chinese defence minister, was expelled from his party for a “serious violation of party discipline and the law”, which was reported to have been linked to corruption.

Several top leaders from the PLA’s rocket force, which is in charge of China’s nuclear programme, have also been expelled over suspected corruption.