Iran’s efforts to combat unauthorized online gambling are proving enormously successful, at least, according to the guy who has to answer to the mullahs if the campaign fails.

Iranian media quoted the nation’s top cybercop General Vahid Majid saying that the authorities had observed “an increase in cybercrime every year” since the formation of the FATA cyber police unit in 2011. Majid made the comments at a recent press conference aimed at debunking COVID-19 misinformation that was circulating online.

Majid (pictured) also warned the public that attempts to gamble online or promote such activity via social media or other digital channels during the country’s pandemic lockdown would be “dealt with severely.” Majic claimed that FATA had to date targeted “6,157 sites and 730 websites” engaged in such activities, resulting in 2,884 judicial actions against those responsible.

Last October, Majid was celebrating the disruption of nine groups responsible for 61 online gambling sites. Gambling in any form is strictly illegal in the Islamic Republic of Iran, with the authorities even targeting state television’s version of the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire game show.