Guo Meimei arrested for alleged soccer gambling

A netizen upload a photo in April which shows Guo Meimei participates in gambling at a casino in the Macao Special Administrative Region of China. [Photo: weibo]

Infamous Internet personality Guo Meimei has been arrested for allegedly participating in World Cup gambling activities, Beijing police confirmed on Thursday.

The capital's law enforcement revealed on its official microblog that eight people have been arrested for holding illegal soccer pools, with Guo Meimei being named among the suspected offenders.

The group reportedly created an account on a foreign gambling website and organized illegal activities by betting via phone and popular mobile app Wechat during the World Cup.

During a phone interview with a reporter from the online Chinese news outlet 163.com, Guo's agent hinted at the woman's involvement in the incident.

In 2011, Guo gained national attention when she used social media to claim she managed an organization under the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC), while openly flaunting her wealth and extravagant lifestyle.

Guo's actions earned her the condemnation of the public and put the legitimacy of the charity group's actions in China into question.