High rollers spent Yuan 51 million on World Cup bets
Four Chinese men picked up in raids by the Shanghai police in June this year for facilitating online betting on World Cup football games have appeared in court, accused of helping more than 20 gamblers to wager a total of 51 million yuan (around $7.5 million) through an unidentified illegal offshore online gambling website.
Prosecutors identified the head of the gambling ring, a 42-year-old man with the surname Wang, as a "second level" agent of the gambling website, claiming that he had personally benefited by over 200 000 yuan at the time of his arrest.
The Shanghai Daily newspaper reports that Wang's accomplice was a higher level facilitator known as Jun Jun, who remains a fugitive from justice. Jun Jun allegedly recruited Wang to help in generating business for the gambling website for a commission.