A nationwide crackdown on the surging online gambling sector this year has shown that some of China’s leading e-commerce operators have been playing key roles in the illegal industry, knowingly or not.
Many top names including WeChat, QQ, Pinduoduo and Alipay are implicated in the widespread scandal that has come to light following mass arrests.
The police action has led to the arrest of more than 60,000 suspects since the end of September, as authorities hunt down the operators of gambling platforms and the underground banks responsible for laundering billions of dollars in illegal transactions often disguised as payments for products posted on online retail sites.
Contact editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)
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