Police have announced the arrests of 98 people who are accused of involving in an online gambling network that has opened more than 500 online casinos, attracting a million members and bets valued at 500 billion yuan ($78.4 billion).

Investigation found that several gambling websites shared the same server belonging to a technology company in Shenzhen in the southern Guangdong province.

Police from Hunan and Guangdong have caught the 98 suspects since July, shutting down 12 gambling dens in the process.

The case is under further investigation.

Gambling has been illegal on the Chinese mainland since 1949.