The Chinese state manages the world’s second-biggest lottery industry

THERE WAS no violence and there were no victims, unless you count the crickets, which rushed at each other, mandibles agape, for a few seconds. But that did not stop the police raiding the barn on the outskirts of Shanghai, abruptly halting the cricket-fighting tournament, dispersing the spectators and arresting the organisers, all for the crime of gambling. Over the previous five nights, 1m yuan ($140,000) had changed hands. So zealous have China’s anti-gambling squads become that not even battling bugs escape their attention.

Gambling has been outlawed since the Communists took power in 1949. Mainlanders keen for a flutter must travel to Macau’s extravagant casinos or to Hong Kong’s jockey clubs. Those who stay put have just two legal outlets for a punt: the state-run Welfare Lottery and the Sports Lottery, set up in 1987 and 1994 respectively. Tickets can be bought at corner shops for as little as 2 yuan; jackpots are capped at 10m yuan. It was only in 1985 that the government made it legal to play (but not bet on) mah jong.