The Sanshui bureau of public security in Foshan, South China's Guangdong province, is looking into the case of 26 middle school students who were caught betting on NBA basketball games this past month to the tune of some 34,000 yuan ($5,400).

The gamblers are all second-year middle school students at Sanshui Experimental Middle School in Foshan.

The school reported the case to the Sanshui bureau of public security on Monday. The bureau is investigating the case to root out professional bookies, according to a bureau spokesman.

Liu Xiaoxiong, head of the Sanshui school's office of teaching affairs, said that on March 16, a teacher accidentally discovered a student placing bets on his cell phone. Upon questioning, the student revealed the names of other students who bet on NBA games.

"Our teachers immediately carried out a large-scale investigation among second-year students and have been talking to the students involved and their parents this past week," Liu said.

So far the school has suspended only two of the 26 students for a week. These students acted as brokers between other students and off-campus bookies.

As for the remaining 24 students, teachers are still discussing how to punish them.

"We are cautious not to punish the students severely," said Liu. "They just made a mistake, and we don't want to see their futures ruined by this."

According to Liu, the students were not playing for high stakes, only 5 yuan to 200 yuan per person per bet.

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