Forget the Iranian nuke threat. Forget the recession. Forget population explosion. The Chinese authorities have been incredibly busy coming up with their grandest scheme of all – a major crackdown on what they term “rampant” online gambling. Until now, of course, online gambling in China was a piece of cake. All you had to do was try running a site and you’d meet the firing squad at dawn. So, now the guys in the Ministry of Public Security have decided to gather together no less than EIGHT other government agencies in a bid to crack down even harder on internet gamblers. Problem is that these guys are going to have to go after 384 million users (!) and so we presume the guys running nine agencies involved in this “bust of syndicates” will be away from their desks for the next couple of years.
Of course, when it comes to bringing in fast cash to the country’s coffers through the Chinese National Lottery , the ‘evils’ of gambling will be forgotten and these agencies will turn the other cheek. So in celebration of lotteries, I’ll end off with a joke I heard this week:
Chen comes running into his home and shouts to his wife: “Lin, Lin. I’ve won the lottery! Pack your bags quick!”
An excited Lin throws up her hands in delight and exclaims: “How wonderful! Should I pack clothes for warm or cold weather?”
Chen shouts back. “I don’t care – as long as you’re out the house by tonight!”
