Taiwan CIB Busts Taichung Gambling Ring; 24 Indicted Over NT$130 Million in Annual Bets

(CNA, reporter Su Mu-chun, Taichung, June 10) A man surnamed Zhuang and others formed a gambling syndicate, setting up server rooms in Taichung's commercial and residential buildings to solicit online gambling. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) investigated and found that bets over the past year exceeded NT$130 million. A total of 24 people, including Zhuang and gamblers, were sent for prosecution, and prosecutors recently indicted them according to the law.

The CIB's Central Taiwan Anti-Crime Center stated today that police received a tip in January and targeted a group led by 40-year-old Zhuang, who was operating gambling websites as a large-scale syndicate with a strict organizational structure and detailed division of labor, running it like a business.

The case was handled by a joint task force formed by the Third Team of the Central Anti-Crime Division, the Third Precinct of the Taichung City Police Department, and the Criminal Police Brigade, under the direction of the Taiwan Taichung District Prosecutors Office. After a long period of evidence collection, searches were conducted in February and March, uncovering gambling server rooms operated by Zhuang and a 24-year-old suspect surnamed Liu. Police seized evidence including NT$454,200 in cash, computer mainframes, mobile phones, and surveillance monitors.

Police discovered that the gambling group set up server rooms in commercial office buildings in Taichung's Xitun District and residential buildings in Beitun District. They offered online live baccarat, slot machines, sports betting, and lotteries to attract the public to online gambling. An investigation revealed that bets over the past year exceeded NT$130 million.

Police pointed out that the group also installed surveillance cameras in the server rooms to monitor employees and a remote power cut-off system to obstruct police investigations. The entire case was transferred to the Taichung District Prosecutors Office for investigation on suspicion of violating the gambling offense in the Criminal Code, involving 24 individuals including Zhuang, his accomplices, and gamblers. Prosecutors have recently concluded the investigation and issued indictments according to the law. (Editor: Wu Su-jou) 1150610