Following an investigation into illegal online cultural activities that was instigated by China’s Ministry of Culture (MOC) the Ministry has issued a warning to 26 online gaming operators demanding that they “clean up their act”.
According to Xinhua reports, the Ministry of Culture has warned the operators that if online gaming operators fail to rectify identified violations which range from running banned games to failing to use real name registrations, these operators will see an increase in penalties.
Sixteen of the 26 online gaming operators who are under the spotlight, have reportedly been identified as offering gambling and content “against social ethics”.
Included in other violations identified by the Ministry of Culture are a lack of responsible gambling measures in terms of age restriction as well as the length of playing time.
A statement on the Ministry of Culture’s website read that businesses must learn their lessons, fulfil all their responsibilities, improve their own self censors and operate their business in line with the law.
The Ministry of Culture, who took on the direct supervision of online gaming earlier this year, said that it was its intention to regulate and clean up online gaming behavior and its environment and that it would also be enforcing measures that would protect consumers.