Horse betting entertainment is being replaced by a decentralized short video gambling network, with increasingly lower thresholds for betting and more covert ways of gambling. Once you leave a trace, the algorithm of the short video platform will capture it precisely, and then your homepage will be occupied by various "fortune tellers," continuously delivering "wealth guides" to you.
Late-night TikTok features countless ethereal and mystical scenes from beyond the world.
Besides the usual cool attire, silent cryptic languages and obscure coding games are also performed in videos big and small.
"Tonight's mystery: 6 cups."
"17/27?"
"Fortune God's call, guaranteed win next issue."
These seemingly unrelated comments are actually signals for gambling traffic. Veteran code users have their own jargon, while newcomers only need to click on the comments, follow the clues, and they can enter a mysterious world—the "horse-solving" circle.
The so-called "horse-solving" essentially revolves around predictions and analyses of digital gambling like the Mark Six lottery.
In the past, code users had to scour forums and lurk in mysterious group chats to find insider information, but now, short video platforms have become the new information distribution hub.
Some video bloggers call themselves "fortune tellers" and "mystery masters," seriously explaining trends, accompanied by mysterious symbols and mnemonics, turning the originally dull numerical arrangements into profound metaphysical studies.
As for how these numbers are calculated? No one cares.
What's important is that it gives people an illusion of traceability, making you believe that as long as you follow the right person, the next issue's fortune is right before your eyes.
In this digital sorcery, the comment section is not just for discussion but also a secret code field for pulling people into the game. Many comments seem casual but actually contain sophisticated psychological manipulations: "Was last night's 05 accurate?", "Thanks to the fortune teller, I'm betting again tonight."
These words create an organized, regular, and guaranteed illusion of profit, attracting more people to join. Once you leave a trace, the algorithm of the short video platform will capture it precisely, and then your homepage will be occupied by various "fortune tellers," continuously delivering "wealth guides" to you.
This type of horse betting entertainment, unlike traditional casinos with tables, dealers, and chips, is being replaced by a decentralized short video gambling network.
The threshold for betting is getting lower and lower, the methods of gambling are becoming more and more covert, and the number of code users is also quietly increasing.
In southern China's Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi, and even Hunan, the Mark Six lottery is not just a lottery game but also a deep-rooted folk custom.
In the early years, these regions had close economic and cultural ties with Hong Kong, and the betting habits of the Mark Six lottery spread rapidly through various underground channels, even developing into a special "community culture."
This method is locally known as "buying horses," adopting the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Mark Six lottery drawing mode—49 numbers in total, each number corresponding to a zodiac sign and a specific color (red, green, blue wave). Each issue draws a number, and gamblers can bet on specific numbers (highest odds), or on zodiac signs, odd/even, or color waves, with flexible and varied methods.
The most interesting part of "buying horses" is that its "decoding" method is full of folk wisdom, even with a touch of magical realism.
The color of the buttons on the weather forecast host's suit, the order of appearance of the Teletubbies after the weather forecast, are all considered to contain mysteries, becoming important clues for gamblers to guess and solve horses.
In some urban villages and urban-rural junctions, the Mark Six lottery is not just a form of gambling but also a social activity. Neighbors discuss trends and share insights after dinner, even developing new bettors through family and friends relationships.
Places where people buy horses are mostly in acquaintances' homes, where they report a number, record the amount, and wait for the draw to collect or pay money.
As for who these horse collectors are? Whether they are authorized agents of the Hong Kong Jockey Club? No one delves into it.
Strictly speaking, the Hong Kong Mark Six lottery is just a drawing platform, and every horse collector infiltrated in the community could potentially be the bookmaker.
The rise of short video platforms has provided a new habitat for this folk gambling culture.
Unlike traditional casinos, short video gambling does not require a physical venue or a fixed bookmaker, but leverages the dissemination power of social media to direct gamblers to private group chats, gambling websites, or even offline betting stations.
Betting amounts range from a few dollars to tens of thousands, with higher amounts offering larger odds.
The "second and third ranks" mentioned in short videos refer to certain specific number prediction methods.
The decentralized nature of short video platforms makes this gambling model even more covert; bookmakers no longer need a fixed casino, as long as there is traffic, they can set up a new gambling game at any time.
In recent years, the police have been intensifying their crackdown on underground Mark Six lotteries.
In 2022, Guangdong police cracked a major online gambling case involving illegal betting on the Mark Six lottery amounting to 2 billion yuan, with several short video platforms becoming the main traffic channels.
In 2019, Sichuan police destroyed the "Zhongfa Entertainment" online gambling platform, with daily gambling turnover reaching over 66 million yuan and more than 6 million registered accounts.
However, even so, after each crackdown, the underground Mark Six lottery often changes its guise and resurfaces in a new form.
The competition between regulation and the black market is often an endless race.
While the technical review of short video platforms can play a certain restraining role, the anti-investigation capabilities of gambling gangs are also evolving.
They use homophones, handwritten fonts, and emojis to evade keyword reviews, and once an account is banned, they can immediately switch to another and continue promoting.
This makes it far more difficult to combat underground Mark Six lotteries than traditional offline gambling.
Ultimately, the allure of gambling comes from human nature, especially in an era where information is extremely convenient. As long as the illusion of a sure win persists, gamblers will continue to pour in, and casinos will be rebuilt in new places.
A fan once told me that her parents also participated in this kind of online and offline lottery buying in the past? She didn't think it was harmful.
This is precisely the terrifying aspect of the popularity of Mark Six lotteries on short videos; it is a form of gambling with a modern filter, belonging to the "memory gambling" of our parents and grandparents' generation. They are completely unguarded against this betting model and even find it more trustworthy than those unfamiliar online gambling sites.
Unlike underground casinos or online gambling that require complex account opening processes, the threshold for participating in short video Mark Six lotteries is extremely low. Just swipe a video, click into the comment section, and you're already at the casino's doorstep.
The algorithm of short videos makes it addictive, the gameplay of the Mark Six lottery is captivating, and the most lethal aspect is that it is disguised as a "traditional culture," making people overlook its real cost.
In the past, countless families were burdened with debts due to the Mark Six lottery, even leading to broken homes and lost lives.
Today, short videos are replaying all this, only the bookmaker has become a more covert behind-the-scenes manipulator, the gamblers' betting methods have become more fragmented and covert, and the difficulty of regulation has also increased accordingly.
You might have come across those "quit gambling" videos, where the bloggers cry bitterly, recounting how they lost all their property due to gambling.
But you won't notice that in a few days, your homepage will be taken over by another batch of videos. Those people no longer talk about gambling but hint that they have mastered a special skill that can accurately predict numbers.
They won't directly ask you to bet, but create an atmosphere of "you're lucky to be here," making you want to participate voluntarily.
And when you actually place a bet, you'll realize that everyone thinks they can turn their fortunes around, but the ultimate winner is always the bookmaker.
Short video platforms may increase their reviews and ban some "mystery decoding" accounts, but the anti-detection capabilities of gambling gangs are also evolving. They change codes, use homophones, handwritten fonts, and even animal emojis to bypass the platform's keyword review. This is the magical cryptic language mentioned at the beginning.
Today, a promotional account is banned; tomorrow, it will reappear under a new guise.
Casinos will never disappear; they just keep changing. And the best way to protect yourself is not through regulation, but through your own immunity.
After all, money is not so easy to earn. As long as you're not greedy, you're already ahead of many others.
