Overseas gambling website sets up 2026 election betting market, New Taipei Procuratorate calls for arrest of 3 people

New Taipei District Prosecutor's Office.

This year's 9-in-1 election will be held on November 28. The New Taipei District Prosecutor's Office discovered that a gambling syndicate has set up gambling websites overseas, offering the public the opportunity to place bets on the county and mayor seats of the three political parties, Blue, White, and Green. The New Taipei District Prosecutor's Office has directed the Xinzhuang Police Division and the New Taipei City Criminal Police Department to launch several waves of operations since the end of August. After the interrogation, three syndicate members, including Deng, Zhan, and a foreign woman, were arrested and banned for suspicion of violating the election and recall law for public officials.

The prosecutor received a tip stating that the gambling website opened a betting market for "the winning political party in Taiwan's local elections in 2026", with the goal of predicting the number of county and mayor seats from the three political parties of blue, white and green.

Prosecutors Qiu Shujie and Lin Yinzheng directed the New Taipei City Criminal Division of the Xinzhuang Police Station on August 31, September 3, and 1 to conduct searches and arrest relevant suspects and report them to the case. After the interrogation, the three group members, Deng Nan, Zhan Nan and the foreign woman, were involved in the crime of "providing gambling venues with the intention of profiting based on the results of elections and recalls" and the criminal law of gathering people to gamble with property. The criminal suspects were serious, and the facts were sufficient to prove that they were annihilating, forging, altering evidence, or colluding with accomplices or witnesses. They applied to the court for a detention ban and were approved.

The New Taipei Prosecutor's Office stated that election gambling affected the election atmosphere and manipulated the election results, which was extremely harmful to society. It will make every effort to investigate, cut off the election gambling, and curb improper forces from intervening in the election, so as to maintain a clean election style and protect Taiwan's democratic values.