Refuse development orders for gambling, fraud, or adult-content apps; do not set up payment gateways or unblock accounts for such “clients”
Taking on such high-paying yet poorly defined projects means you could be treated as an accomplice in gambling crimes, facing charges under the crime of operating illegal gambling dens: up to 5 years in prison, or 5–10 years for serious cases. This is not the “merely helping out, maximum 3 years” category. In one e-sports betting app case, 28 developers in Hainan were sentenced to 1–3 years and 6 months for operating illegal gambling dens. Those who unblocked QQ accounts for fraud rings received 1 year and 6 months in prison plus a 20,000-yuan fine.
No direct monetary cost. The trade-off is forgoing outsour…
Providing technical support or payment settlement services to known online criminals can lead to imprisonment…
No direct monetary cost. The trade-off is forgoing outsourcing projects that pay well but have vague requirements. The difficulty lies in the fact that these clients often offer significantly higher pay than normal projects.
Providing technical support or payment settlement services to known online criminals can lead to imprisonment of up to 3 years and/or a fine, especially when the circumstances are serious. If other crimes are also involved, the harsher penalty applies. Operating illegal gambling dens carries up to 5 years in prison plus a fine; serious cases bring 5–10 years. Official examples: Zhangsheng Group developed gambling games and handled “online distribution,” earning fees for website setup and reporting; the total illicit revenue reached nearly 7 billion yuan. Its leader was sentenced to 9 years and 9 months plus a 50-million-yuan fine. 79 developers, including Wang Qiang, received sentences ranging from 6 months to 9 years and 9 months. In another case, 28 developers in Hainan who built an e-sports betting app were convicted of operating illegal gambling dens and received similar sentences, plus fines. One individual who ran a studio unblocking QQ accounts for fraudsters got 1 year and 6 months in prison and a 20,000-yuan fine (nationwide).
全国人大 (2020). 刑法（根据刑法修正案（十一）修正，第二百八十七条之二、第三百零三条第二款）. https://jtgl.beijing.gov.cn/jgj/jgxx/flfg/fl/11033925/index.html；最高人民检察院 (2023). 建赌博网站并出售，涉案近 70 亿元. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/zdgz/202307/t20230711_621248.shtml；最高人民检察院 (2022). 上海闵行区：办理一起新型开设网络赌场案. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/zdgz/202208/t20220805_569952.shtml；最高人民检察院 (2025). 依法惩治帮助信息网络犯罪活动及相关犯罪典型案例（案例一）. https://www.spp.gov.cn/xwfbh/wsfbt/202507/t20250728_702377.shtml
Open source link“Knowing intent” does not require the client to explicitly state the purpose. When a quote is far above market rates, the app includes top-up, cash-out, and betting features, and the client refuses to disclose usage, these facts are used to prove you were aware of the illegal nature. Developers of gambling apps are prosecuted as accomplices in operating illegal gambling dens, not under the “Crime of Assisting Information Network Criminal Activities” which caps at 3 years.