“As the ring had so many posts islandwide and so many gamblers were involved, we fear that the gambling could influence the outcome of the election,” said Wang Yi-wen, spokesman for the Taoyuan Prosecutors’ Office, Channel NewsAsia reports.
Taiwan is about to see presidential and parliamentary elections on January 16. Gambling is prohibited in the country, apart from lotteries run by authorised banks. However, there is a big underground network that includes private casinos, pigeon-racing and bets linked to Hong Kong horse-racing.
According to the investigation data, punters were betting on the outcome of the elections as well as on sports and on an illegal lottery. They used phone and fax lines, mobile phones and made online bets.