Legal betting can end illegal lotteries

A RECENT MEDIA INVESTIGATION found that an illegal underground lottery exists in South China's Hainan province, which cheats the players. Beijing News comments:

Everybody knows what these underground lotteries are: gambling. Unlike the official lottery, none of the money is invested in charity work. And in the long run, "the banker" always wins. There have been many cases in which those addicted to gambling have gone bankrupt, even committed suicide.

The authorities have sought to squeeze the space for such gambling for a long time, yet the illegal gambling in Hainan is so well hidden that it still persists.