China has torpedoed rumors that the island province of Hainan would be allowed the freedom to offer gambling or other betting activities.

On Tuesday, the state-owned Hainan Daily newspaper quoted Liu Cigui, Secretary of the Hainan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, emphatically pouring cold water on “online comments about opening casinos, allowing gambling and horseracing” that were widely reported earlier this year.

Hainan was officially given free trade zone status on Tuesday but the relaxation of restrictions on foreign investment won’t extend to casinos, gambling or betting. Liu Cigui (pictured) said reports to the contrary were “divorced from China’s reality,” as such activities “will never be allowed.”

In February, Bloomberg reported that the central government in Beijing would allow Hainan to develop a horseracing industry, although the possibility of actually wagering on the outcome of these races went unconfirmed. Similarly, Hainan was said to be allowed certain types of lottery operations – including online sports lotteries – beyond those currently available on the Chinese mainland.