Kinmen Councilor Calls for Investigation of Chess and Card Parlors' Land Zoning; County Government: Ongoing Inspections

Kinmen County Councilor Dong Sen-bao stated today at the Kinmen County Council's administrative query session that chess and card parlors registered as leisure venues often conceal illegal gambling activities. In recent years, such establishments have also appeared in residential zones, agricultural zones, and even near schools. Dong Sen-bao noted that the 'Kinmen County Specific Industry Registration and Review Operating Guidelines' were passed before the ordinance, requiring substantive review of land zoning and building usage categories for leisure venue registrations. Applications that do not comply with land zoning regulations or usage types will be provided with non-approval recommendations to the Industry Development Department. The Industry Development Department stated that to prevent operators from using 'leisure activity venue' registrations to cover up gambling, prior to the ordinance's implementation, the county government has continuously promoted substantive reviews and joint inspections to eliminate illegal gambling. For venues found to be in violation, actions will be taken according to regulations such as building management and urban planning, with penalties including mandatory improvements, fines, or utility cutoffs depending on the severity of the violation. (Editor: Li Hen-shan) 1150414