Chinese official’s whopping gambling spree: Over $90,000 lost in one night

China recently announced the case of a gambling-addicted official from a state-owned enterprise in Hangzhou. His annual salary was not even enough for one night's gambling spree. He eventually got jail time for taking bribes. The website of Zhejiang Province's anti-corruption agency, the Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision, recently posted an article titled Gambling Addict Was Hunted and Imprisoned. The report reveals the criminal conduct of Ren Huo, a deputy general manager of a state-owned construction group. The article said that Ren Huo was born into an official family and has developed an addiction to gambling since college. After assuming the leadership role of a state-owned enterprise, Ren Huo has been making more and more friends and contacts. He said, After playing with them, the amount of money I won and lost became bigger and bigger. The worst one I lost was $90,000 to $100,000 in one night. Ren Huo added that his annual salary couldn't even afford one night of gambling spree. But he found a way out. Some business bosses within his power circle knew he was heavily addicted to gambling, so they offered to help him pay off his debts. Ren Huo would use his power to make profits for them, such as in project management, project bidding, and so on. Ren Huo solicited or accepted nearly $800,000 in bribes from these bosses between 2006 and 2021. Among those hefty moneybags is a self-employed businessman named Lo Mo Mo. Lo Mo Mo joined in subcontracting projects for water and electricity installations. Of the more than $800,000 Ren Huo took in bribes, almost half came from Lo Mo Mo. Last November, Ren Huo was expelled from the party and dismissed from public office for taking bribes. In March, Ren Huo was sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison and fined almost $90,000.