Chinese authorities have shut down another live poker event, sewing further confusion as to their official stance toward such activities.

Wednesday marked Day 1 of the Asia Poker League (APL) event in Kunshan, a city of 1.6m located just outside Shanghai in Jiangsu province. The event, which was supposed to continue until November 29, marked the APL’s second tournament on Chinese soil, following its successful organization of the APL Beijing tourney this August.

The APL Shanghai obtained a license to operate through the PokerSports Shanghai Club, which has hosted similar events in the area without incident. But SoMuchPoker reported that Kunshan authorities ordered the tournament to halt play Wednesday evening, forcing players to bag their chips early while awaiting further news.

On Thursday morning, the authorities officially called a halt to the event. APL president Judic Kim insisted that his group “has always hosted events in compliance with local laws,” but appeared resigned to the fact that you can’t fight city hall.