WeChat is a popular communication and payment app that has over a billion users worldwide. It is especially widely used in China, where it serves as a super app that integrates various functions such as messaging,
Sports Betting social media, news,
Sports Betting e-commerce and more. However, WeChat has also been involved in some illegal activities, such as facilitating gambling on the World Cup soccer tournament.
What happened?
In July 2018, WeChat announced that it had deleted 50,000 accounts and 8,000 group chats related to soccer betting during the World Cup so far. The company said that this was due to a Chinese government crackdown that had taken hundreds of
sports betting websites offline, which had caused betting activities to migrate to social platforms.
WeChat said that it appealed to its users to watch the World Cup rationally, to appreciate the competitive nature of football and
respect the spirit of the game, and keep away from gambling. However, some users ignored this warning and
continued to use WeChat as a convenient tool for
Sports Betting illegal bookmakers and bettors.