A total of 76 entertainment venues have been shut down and 26 had their operations suspended during a crackdown on gambling launched by the Ministry of Culture (MOC), media reported.
Over 100,000 law enforcement officers have investigated more than 38,000 entertainment venues nationwide and busted 355 cases, the China Youth Daily reported Monday.
Any entertainment venues that allow their customers to gamble or contain video machines on which people can gamble will be shut down and have their business licenses revoked, according to the MOC.
Shanghai discovered 83 such cases and 11 venues were shut down in South China's Hainan Province in April.
Stricter checks will be continued in order to enforce the operation standards for China's entertainment venues set by the MOC and the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).
The MOC encouraged the public Monday to report illegal entertainment venues via the ministry's website or a special hotline set up for this purpose.
China has also been highlighting its crackdown on cross-border gambling recently. On March 28, the MPS called for stronger action against the problem, underscoring the need to raise awareness about illegal gambling, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
The MPS said in April that China and the Philippines arrested 99 people suspected of online gambling. Four gambling websites have been shut down, while over 1,100 bank accounts and more than 70 million yuan ($10.16 million) of illicit gains have been frozen, said Xinhua.
Gambling has been illegal on the Chinese mainland since 1949, leaving Macau and Hong Kong the only places gambling is legal in the country.
