PARIS – More than 5,000 people have been arrested in a swoop on illegal gambling on World Cup soccer across Asia and police have seized nearly $10 million, Interpol said yesterday.
The global police co-operation agency said raids on nearly 800 illegal gambling dens between June 11th and July 11th targeted illicit betting linked to organised crime in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and China.
“As well as having clear connections to organised crime gangs, illegal soccer gambling is also linked with corruption, money-laundering and prostitution,” said Jean-Michel Louboutin, executive director of police services.
The co-ordinated police operation, codenamed SOGA III, was not about match-fixing, a spokeswoman for Interpol said.
Illegal gambling dens, including some in Hong Kong and casino haven Macau – both former colonial enclaves which are now parts of China – had taken more than $155 million (€120 million) in bets.
“The results we have seen are impressive, not only in the number of arrests and seizures made across the region in just one month, but in terms of the police co-operation which made this possible,” Mr Louboutin said.
The three SOGA operations carried out so far have led to nearly 7,000 arrests, the seizure of more than $26 million in cash and the closure of illegal gambling dens that handled more than $2 billion worth of bets.
In Hong Kong, police said they arrested 235 men and women aged between 16 and 79 after searching 139 locations in the latest operation. They seized betting slips valued at HK$361 million (€35.9 million) and 77 computers.
Chinese state media said earlier this month police had smashed an online betting network, with the alleged ringleader accused of dealings worth 100 billion yuan (€11.4 billion).
It was not immediately clear if that operation was linked to the one announced by Interpol yesterday.
Gambling is highly restricted in most of China, ensuring brisk trade for Macau in the country’s south, which has overtaken Las Vegas as the world’s largest gambling market.
Malaysia has backtracked on the approval of a sports betting licence following public anger in the mostly Muslim nation. – (Reuters)