Animated Series Aim to Inform Chinese on Dangers of Gambling

In a string of animated anti-gambling videos, Chinese authorities have sought to educate citizens about the dangers of participating in illegal gambling operations, from identity theft to being kidnapped abroad.

Anti-Gambling Campaign by Chinese Authorities Features Cartoon Videos

Chinese authorities continue with the crackdown on illegal gambling with the most recent bust of a cargo boat converted into a floating casino, leading to the arrest of 100 people. Yet, the country is not done yet.

Now, the country has released a series of animated videos seeking to educated Chinese citizens about the dangers of gambling. The boat operation in Jiangsu province led to the apprehension of 80 gamblers and 20 organizers, but this is not the most dangerous part of gambling, it seems.

Urging Citizens to Act Swiftly and Avoid Falling Victim of Illegal Gambling

China has been experimenting with different ways to incentivize its citizens to spill the beans on illegal gambling operations. The Chinese Ministry of Public Security introduced a new platform on June, allowing residents to leave tips about individuals involved in illicit or suspicious gambling activities.

The initiative is part of a broader move to combat cross-border gambling through a publicity and education campaign. All videos focus on different situations. In one video, a young man receives a pop-up ad he decides to follow up and is connected with a woman in a gambling website’s call center.

He chooses to report this to the police and later the authorities bust the facility, eradicating the gambling business. However, because the youth provided the gambling facility with his financial details first, he now realizes that despite the swift reaction of the authorities, his credit data has been compromised.

There are six such videos in total and they all speak about the dangers of gambling with illicit operators and bring up the ensuing trouble. Other than being implicated as an accomplice, youths can be tempted into revealing personal data and become the victims of identity theft, the videos inform.

Cautioning Against Travelling to Foreign Countries to Gamble

One particular video loosely translated as ‘Tourist Tap,’ highlights another area in which the Chinese government has been trying to have influence in, and specifically over nationals visiting foreign countries such as the Philippines and Cambodia to play there.

A young man is invited to travel to a foreign country and play there. He wins big at first, but then losses it all. The video later shows the young man trapped in a cage with two burly individuals beating the cage’s frame with sticks, referring to the strings of kidnappings of Chinese nationals in Cambodia and the Philippines.

One live-feature video includes an enforcer from the Ministry of Public Security who approaches people in the street and catches them gambling. A segment of the video has a youth who has just lost money on an international sports event and is the only person in the sports bar not celebrating.