BEIJING — China has uncovered widespread misappropriation of 16.9 billion yuan (US$2.72 billion) of funds from its state lottery program, underscoring the extent of official corruption as the country tries to root out graft.
Funds were misappropriated through the buying and building of office buildings and hotels or embezzled, the National Audit Office said in a report on its website.
The state auditor said the irregularities accounted for a quarter of the total of lottery funds received in its 2012-2014 investigation that spanned 18 provinces.
It said 17 provinces had flouted the law in engaging in lottery sales through the Internet without approval from the Ministry of Finance.
In another case, 32 lottery shops had used 3.1 billion yuan to construct office buildings, training centers and hotels, the report said.
Spurred by rising disposable income, a strong appetite for gambling and more sophisticated games, China's lottery market has boomed with customers splurging billions of dollars. China is expected to overtake the United States as the world's biggest lottery market this year.
The government has so far contained casino gambling to Macau, in part because of social concerns. Experts say officials consider the lottery system more sanitized, with fewer negative effects on citizens.
The review comes as President Xi Jinping's government has waged a fight against corruption, warning that the problem is so bad it could affect the Communist Party's grip on power.
Lottery products are typically sold through authorized stations throughout the country in the form of physical tickets. These range from dedicated lottery stores to counters in supermarkets, post offices and gas stations.
Unlike the United States and Europe, where prizes can climb into the hundreds of millions of dollars, China caps jackpots at 10 million yuan. Tickets sell for 2 yuan to 200 yuan, with proceeds supporting sports and welfare charities.
($1 = 6.2 yuan)
This could be serious since China doesn't believe in second chances for crooks.
Imagine that, communists are crooks.
Edit: I wanted to point this out:
Spurred by rising disposable income, a strong appetite for gambling and more sophisticated games, China's lottery market has boomed with customers splurging billions of dollars. China is expected to overtake the United States as the world's biggest lottery market this year. I think they meant china was going to over take the united states economy
What is this you ask?.. This Sir is a Chinese Mobile Execution Vehicle. Need l say more?
Responding to criticism that China cruelly and arbitrarily executes a large number of its citizens each year, officials are gradually moving toward what they say is a more discreet way of killing its prisoners: execution vans.
I heard they had those in china. If people think it isn't real, go here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1165416/Chinas-hi-tech-death-van-criminals-executed-organs-sold-black-market.html
My reason for posting the picture of the vehicle Pick is that China executes people for corruption, bribery etc.Corrupt Political figures have been strapped to the gurney inside these units. I am convinced that these vehicles will be rolling once the culprits associated with this story are identified...
Americans have concerns about how our meat animals are raised, what with all the antibiotics and hormones, but I'd rather eat U.S. feed lot beef than I would a tilapia from China. (you'd have to hold a gun on me to eat just about ANY fish /seafood from Asia...and I think I'd rather just have you shoot me, preferring to die a quick death than a long and slow drawn-out one) Then there's this recent news story:
China arrests smugglers trying to sell frozen meat from the 1970s
If you think China is strict, try the Islamic State or "our so-called friend" Saudi Arabia.
That pile of money in your picture is why Saudi Arabia is, always was, and forever will be our friend... the oil interest will always outweigh in interest of individual American citizens period
Is anyone surprised that funds would be misappropriated?
The U.S. supplies 40% (and that percentage has been increasing, thanks to the relatively harmless practice of hydraulic fracturing) of its own petroleum needs and we get more from either Canada and Latin America than we do the Middle East; we get more oil from Nigeria (10%) than we do Saudi Arabia (8%).
Think it would be money well spent to cut down on crime and corruption here in the US. Only problem, who would be left to run Washington?
Oh no! I bought tickets on my vacation there. I am shocked to find out my 2$ were misappropriated.
The jackpot cap btw is why people often play the same line 100 times.
And some here on LP a little while ago wanted a world-wide lottery.
Congratulations, you hit the jackpot. Our lottery headquarters is in the van that noise-gate posted. Come collect.
What a subtle hint...
I still want a world lottery. Let's not pretend there aren't any crooks in the US.
<snip> you China!!
Crooks, sure. Mobile execution vans, let's hope not.
I doubt the people that are executed care much.
Many people on US death row are innocent and the chamber/gurney are in the same building anyway, a firing squad backsplatter is assembled pretty fas I imaginet.
An execution van makes very little difference and has economical advantages that the prison industrial complex would love to use I'm sure.
"Many people on US death row are innocent"
And you know this how for certain?
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/innocence-list-those-freed-death-row
Past miscarriages of justice are a pretty accurate indicator of that, wouldn't you say? If I'm not mistaken there was no overhaul of the justice system, so the same conditions still apply.
You can of course chose to ignore this, like you did the other parts of my statement.
Uh, that is a list of people freed from death row not ON death row. Not all had their convictions overturned by DNA or other new evidence, but rather from procedural errors in their trials or for prosecutorial malfeasance...which doesn't necessarily mean "innocent". In either case, the justice system worked. I've done a lot of research on capital punishment and have found only 8 cases (of nearly 1400 when I last had a count) since 1976 where an innocent person might have been executed (the key word being "might") and that's giving every benefit of the doubt to at least half of those. No, the system isn't perfect, but it's a good one, all things considered.
Of course, you being German or living in Germany would mean you'd certainly know about innocent people being killed.
I didn't ignore the other parts of your statement because you didn't make any sense, just the usual rant from someone who only wants to see one side of an issue. I will do my best to not only ignore other parts of your statement, but any you make in the future... but if I catch you in another lie again, that will change.
Your little distasteful comment about my citizenship is just the kind of remark I expect from a petulant simpleton who is not educated about the wrong-doings of his own nation and therefore tries to derail a discussion using whataboutery. Maybe your country will at some point in the future adequately deal with its slavery and native american genocide, and it might even reach your state that continously "threatens" to seceed.
You found 8 cases since 1976 in your research that you did? Wow, you must never have heard about 1) confirmation bias 2) a justice system that is deeply flawed and heavily skews to racism.
You sound like a the typical "lame stream media" opponent and I would kindly ask you to keep your promise of ignoring me as I am not about to deal with your inflated self and condescension again. Clearly you lack the skills to interact with people in a social manner.
$2.7 billion, in misappropriated lottery fund. This is pass just graft. I'm calling it the way I see it, "GREED" & out right "Theft". The lottery players in China can't complain. Wow!
You call ME condescending? Inflated self? You're obviously projecting. FYI, it's only a small segment of Texans who sincerely want to secede and there are several other states with secession groups who make the same noise. I also know about the mistakes my nation has made and the flaws in its jurisprudence system, but I don't need Euro-trash pointing it out, especially when it's coming from some progtard citizen of a nation that has such an evil history, one that dwarfs that of the U.S. Sweep around your own door, Fritz. (I must have touched that Nazi nerve, huh?) As I said, I will ignore you in the future - unless, as I also said, I catch you in another lie.
Once again you overestimate your importance and double down on the xenophobia. Trash is as trash does, Maison Dixon.
To discount the atrocities commited by the US and in the same breath label Germany's history as evil is par for the brazen course of the idiocy you have exhibited.
You believe you are beyond reproach? How arrogant.
You keep repeating you will ignore me except when you catch me in a lie, then why did you respond this time? Slavery was certainly not a lie but a hard reality, one that you don't seem to be too keen on being reminded of, as it puts your inflated sense of selfe in question.
Keep on keeping on though, don't be distracted by someone disagreeing with you.
Projecting again, I see.
I'll concede the point about slavery and genocide since your nation has a much more recent, intimate and expert experience with those things.