Chinese Hackers Stand Trial for Online Gambling Games

Owners of an illegal gambling site made 8 million yuan by selling virtual chips to Chinese players.

After being sent to jail for creating a computer virus that harmed millions of computers in 2006 and 2007, two Chinese hackers are facing trial again, this time being accused of running an online gambling site in China.

Last week, 26 people were brought in front of a court in Lishui City, found in east China’s Zhejiang Province, under charges of running an online gambling company that offered Chinese players several card games. Users logging into the website were allowed to use virtual chips.

With online gambling being illegal under Chinese gambling laws, players are always looking for ways to quench their thirst for casino and table games. The website had more than 2,200 users, gambling away over 76 million yuan ($12.4 million). The company sold 8 million yuan worth of virtual chips.

Panda virus creators strikes again

Among the accused brought in front of the court in Lishui City were Zhang Shun and Li Jun, who created the notorious Panda virus which changed desktop icons into cartoon pandas holding three burning joss-sticks, then started to delete computer files, damage installed programs and steal passwords and other account information.

Li drew attention upon himself in 2010, by making a donation to a research base for saving giant pandas, as he was obviously feeling guilty for all the damage he had done by creating the virus. Now he could be facing prison again, as part of the unlicensed online gambling company.