Gambling officials face crackdown

Beijing announced a new crackdown on corrupt government officials and heads of companies using public money to gamble at a profusion of casinos in countries along China's borders, state media reported. Bai Jingfu, a vice minister of public security, told the China Daily that in recent years some 200 new casinos have opened in Russia, Mongolia and North and South Korea, clearly targeting Chinese clientele. "Most of the gambling with illegal money overseas is done by corrupt officials," another official was quoted as saying. The China Daily cited the example of Cai Haowen, a transportation official from Jilin Province, who gambled away nearly US$360,000 in public funds in North Korea last year. Cai, described as "only a low-level official", remains at large.