An illegal online gambling operation by a criminal ring based in Taoyuan has been shut down, the Criminal Investigation Bureau said yesterday, adding that the Web site handled NT$1 billion (US$32.47 million) in bets over the past six months.
Police earlier this month raided several places in Jhongli District (中壢), arresting a number of suspects, including the two suspected leaders surnamed Peng (彭) and Hsu (徐), the bureau said.
“Police entered Peng’s residence in Jhongli, seizing money-counting machines and computers, as well as two telephones, account books, NT$1.72 million in cash and other material,” Fourth Investigation Corps Captain Chang Yao-han (張躍瀚) said.
Chang said the Web site was linked to the China-based site Beijing Auto Racing PK10 (北京賽車PK10), reportedly one of the most popular forms of online gambling.
The site offers rewards for betting on major sports events, an online lottery, bingo and simulated auto racing games.
Taiwanese placed about NT$20 million in bets each week with the Taoyuan group, totaling about NT$1 billion in the past six months, Chang said.
On Sept. 5, officers raided a residential building, where they found computers and communication equipment used to run an illegal gambling Web site, the bureau said, adding that Hsu was in charge, along with four alleged members of the criminal ring.
The officers also found that Hsu and the others were using ketamine, the bureau said, adding that they would also be charged for possession of illegal drugs.
Investigators quoted Hsu as saying during questioning that he and higher-ranking members of the group received permission from the site’s Chinese operators to set up a branch in Taiwan under a profit-sharing arrangement.
Hsu said he took no part in the operation and did not handle any money, but only worked as a “branch manager” for the site’s Chinese proprietors, receiving a small commission, investigators said.
He only made NT$10 million, which he had to share with other members of the operation and young people who were hired to do odd jobs, he was quoted as saying.
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
Weather conditions across Taiwan are expected to remain stable today, but cloudy to rainy skies are expected from tomorrow onward due to increasing moisture in the atmosphere, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). Daytime highs today are expected to hit 25-27°C in western Taiwan and 22-24°C in the eastern counties of Yilan, Hualien, and Taitung, data on the CWA website indicated. After sunset, temperatures could drop to 16-17°C in most parts of Taiwan. For tomorrow, precipitation is likely in northern Taiwan as a cloud system moves in from China. Daytime temperatures are expected to hover around 25°C, the CWA said. Starting Monday, areas
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
Taiwan has recorded its first fatal case of Coxsackie B5 enterovirus in 10 years after a one-year-old boy from southern Taiwan died from complications early last month, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. CDC spokesman Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) told a news conference that the child initially developed a fever and respiratory symptoms before experiencing seizures and loss of consciousness. The boy was diagnosed with acute encephalitis and admitted to intensive care, but his condition deteriorated rapidly, and he passed away on the sixth day of illness, Lo said. This also marks Taiwan’s third enterovirus-related death this year and the first severe
RSS