Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (
"Gambling without the government's permission is definitely illegal in Taiwan. We will not hesitate to clamp down on such behavior," Yu said at a press conference yesterday morning.
Accompanied by officials from the ministry's Criminal Investigation Bureau, Yu said that the bureau had organized a special team to monitor "very closely" the Web site of the company, Sportingbet.
Sportingbet held a press conference yesterday afternoon to officially introduce its business to the country.
Yu said that any online gambling transactions would be considered a violation of the nation's laws.
Under criminal law, gambling attracts fines of NT$1,000 or jail terms of up to two years. Gambling is not defined in the law.
Sportingbet launched its Chinese-language Web site a year ago, providing online betting using credit cards or through bank accounts.
Customers can bet on soccer, American football, tennis, golf and basketball.
According to the company, it has more than 500 Taiwanese customers.
At yesterday's press conference, Sportingbet said that they didn't regard online gambling as illegal.
"Online gambling is not legal, but not illegal either," said Victor Yang (
Yang said that the gambling Web site was set up in the UK and overseas betting should not be considered a violation of this country's regulations.
In response, Ministry of Economic Affairs' Commercial Section Chief Liu Kun-tang (
Kao Cheng-sheng (
The company was founded in 1998. It says it has more than 700,000 customers and trades in more than 100 countries, 11 languages and 11 currencies.
The company's founder, Mark Blandford, gave a speech to the local press yesterday. He is scheduled to visit China on the next stop of an Asian tour to promote his company's business.
Minister of Finance Lin Chuan (林全), meanwhile, suggested that the government should formulate a new law to regulate online gambling.
Also see story:
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique