"Gambling is really abominable," he said.
Experts told Insider mirror websites are a "common" practice by betting companies in countries that don't allow gambling. "It's very, very common. China has an active online gambling presence," said Ben Lee.
In June, Insider found 59 mirror sites operated by subsidiaries of Bet365. It is one of many gambling companies that have mirror sites.
Bet365 said that it doesn't believe operating in China is illegal, and that it is licensed by "relevant regulatory authorities across a variety of jurisdictions and is compliant with all applicable legislation".
One way gambling sites attract customers is to hire young people to pose as players and "infiltrate" online chat groups on platforms popular in China like Weibo and WeChat, according to Ben Lee.
Bet365 told Insider it was unable to discuss individual player accounts. The spokesperson added that the company is licensed and regulated in Gibraltar, and in accordance with Gibraltar regulations, customers can be required to show documentary evidence to verify identity or the source of funds.
- Gambling is illegal in most parts of China but experts say it's widespread due to copycat websites that "mirror" established ones.
- Betting companies sometimes hire people to "infiltrate" chat groups and encourage people to gamble.
Tao Huang gambled online for 8 years.
Though he always used the same online account, the web address he visited would change all the time.
Huang, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, is from Guangxi in Southern China.
He's one of many people in the country who has visited "mirror" websites: identical clones of betting sites that are hosted on obscure web addresses to get around government blocks on the main URLs of gambling companies.
Huang told Insider through an online translation tool: "The website is blocked in China, but it will still appear in front of you as long as you need it. You don't need a VPN."
Thought this was interesting in light of the above -
Gambling Addiction was discussed in Gibraltar's Messenger 5G Edition - Gibraltar's Gamble with 5G: PHE vs The Challengers