NANJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Police have busted a transnational internet gambling ring involving around 7.8 billion yuan (1.1 billion U.S. dollars).

Some 56 suspects, who allegedly earned illegal profits of 650 million yuan, have been arrested, according to police in east China's Jiangsu Province.

An investigation into the case was launched in January 2016, after police received information about a gambling website.

The online platform had been opened in the Philippines and had more than 114,000 users.

Police identified four prime suspects through bankcard information.

Two website technicians, who had been operating the website in the Philippines, were arrested in Shanghai in 2017. Police then gained access to backend data and the structure of the group.

As of August, 50 suspects had been arrested in Shanghai and Fujian, Zhejiang, and Guangdong provinces. Six others returned to China from the Philippines and turned themselves in.

The suspects are being transferred to the local procuratorate for prosecution.