Taiwan busts “largest online gambling operation in the nation’s history”

Officials in Taiwan have broken up what they’re describing as the “largest online gambling operation in the nation’s history.”

On Tuesday, Taiwanese authorities announced that over 300 police had conducted raids on 55 locations across the country the previous day. The target of Monday’s raids was an online gambling ring operating as Jiu Zhou Casino, which reportedly handled NT $2b (US $60m) in wagers from Taiwanese punters.

Police detained 53 suspects, including the alleged ringleader, a 35-year-old man named Kao Hung-yu. Kao has reportedly copped to organizing the ring’s illegal lottery and sports betting operations, but has denied taking bets on the Jan. 16 national elections.

Police have called in technical experts to examine the 78 computers seized during the raids in order to determine whether Kao’s claims regarding the election wagers are true. Authorities have expressed concerns that election betting could cause ‘rogue elements’ to attempt to manipulate the election results to their advantage.