26-9-2023 (SINGAPORE) During a significant anti-money laundering operation on August 15, a notorious figure in the world of illegal online gambling, Wang Bingang, managed to avoid arrest in Singapore. Wang Bingang orchestrated an illicit online gambling network known as “Betflix,” which primarily catered to Chinese gamblers.
Wang Bingang’s illicit venture began in 2012 when he was just 23 years old. In a mere two years, this young entrepreneur from Anxi, Fujian, generated millions in revenue by operating the Hongli International gambling site from locations in the Philippines and Cambodia. “Hongli” translates to “great profits” in Mandarin.
Currently 34 years old, Wang Bingang lived in an opulent bungalow on Rochalie Drive in Tanglin, which he shared with Wang Liyun, presumably his wife. It was during the arrests of ten foreign nationals by Singaporean authorities that Wang Bingang managed to elude capture.
Although Wang Bingang’s current whereabouts are unknown, his family and domestic helper continue to reside at the property. The bungalow, when visited by The Straits Times (ST), displayed an open metal gate with two Toyota Alphards and a Rolls-Royce in the front yard.
The domestic helper, who has worked for the family for a year, stated that the couple was in Singapore but not at home during the visit. However, other sources indicated that Wang Bingang and Wang Liyun have not been seen for around a month.
In 2022, Wang Bingang joined Sentosa Golf Club, where foreign members must pay approximately $950,000 to join. A notice from September 12 listed him and five others associated with the Singaporean investigation on a defaulters’ list at the club for unsettled accounts.
While Wang Bingang does not appear in official business records, Wang Liyun has interests in various enterprises, including a bridal shop. Both of them feature on a list of 34 names provided by the Ministry of Law to dealers in precious metals and stones. The list serves to flag potentially suspicious transactions related to money laundering and includes the names of the ten individuals arrested in the Singaporean operation. One of the detainees is identified as Wang Bingang’s relative.
The assets frozen or seized as part of the money laundering case have now reached $2.4 billion. In court hearings, the police revealed that one of the accused, 31-year-old Chinese national Wang Baosen, is the cousin of a fugitive identified as “Subject Y.”
The investigation found that more than $100 million worth of assets in Singapore, attributed to Subject Y, have been confiscated or subject to prohibition of disposal orders.
Betflix’s operations spanned from the Philippines to Cambodia. The gambling website offered games such as blackjack and baccarat, along with sports and e-sports betting services. Players could also act as promoters and earn commissions by inviting others to join the platform.
Wang Bingang set up Hongli International with two associates, including Wang Cailin. Their operations began in the Philippines, which is colloquially known for offshore gambling operators, or “Pogos,” focusing on Chinese gamblers. Online gambling is illegal in China, making foreign-based websites like Betflix lucrative for those targeting Chinese players.
In 2014, due to reports of violent crimes connected to online gambling, the authorities in the Philippines started clamping down on such operations. Wang Bingang subsequently moved his activities to Bavet in Cambodia, recruiting Wang Xiaolong, and allegedly Wang Baosen, to join the enterprise.
Hongli’s operations included graphic designers, customer service personnel, and finance managers. It quickly became the largest gambling website in Bavet, near the Vietnamese border. Simultaneously, China initiated efforts to curb online gambling activities due to its stance on combating corruption.
The chain of events that led to Wang Bingang’s arrest began when a Hongli customer in Anhui province surrendered himself to the police after suffering bankruptcy. The subsequent investigations involved tracking bank accounts linked to the website that processed bets and analyzing transaction data. This led to the arrest of promoters, including Wang Cailin, who ultimately revealed Wang Bingang as the mastermind behind Hongli.
Wang Bingang, who held Cambodian citizenship despite being a Chinese national, was apprehended at a fishing port hotel in Bavet in February 2015. To evade the law, the suspects used various mobile phones for work and personal matters, utilized different online accounts, and frequently changed their Skype usernames to communicate and give commands.
In court, Wang Bingang’s lawyer argued that his client did not qualify as the leader of a criminal organization, as the court determined that Hongli did not function as such. Ultimately, Wang Bingang and five associates were found guilty in 2015. They received sentences ranging from 10 months to three years in prison and fines ranging from 50,000 to three million yuan.
Wang Bingang’s three-year prison term was set to end on February 15, 2018. Nevertheless, there is no available information regarding Wang Baosen’s court trial or sentence.
Despite the crackdown in 2015, Hongli International appears to continue its operations, with active online gambling platforms accessible through social media links.
Notably, the Hongli syndicate is not the sole foreign group connected to investigations in Singapore. The police are also investigating links between the individuals arrested in Singapore and the Heng Bo Bao Wang group. One of the detainees in Singapore, Vang Shuiming (also known as Wang Shuiming), is considered an associate of the Heng Bo Bao Wang syndicate.
The police have not disclosed the identity of “Suspect X” but mentioned that this individual is sought in connection with the ongoing investigation and in China for online gambling activities. The Heng Bo Bao Wang group was dismantled in May 2022 by Shandong police, resulting in the arrest of 131 individuals and the seizure of over 10 million yuan in assets. The group, based in Cambodia, operated online casinos and leased gambling services to other entities.
Assets linked to Subject Y, another player in the illegal gambling network, worth over $100 million have been seized in Singapore.
While investigations into these illegal gambling networks persist, online gambling in China witnessed exponential growth during the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to an array of criminal investigations.
In 2021, the Ministry of Public Security in China reported that the police had probed over 17,000 cases of cross-border gambling, resulting in the arrests of more than 80,000 suspects involved in over one trillion yuan worth of illegal transactions. The crackdown also led to the dismantling of thousands of online gambling platforms, payment platforms, underground banks, and gambling promotion platforms.
