Thousands arrested in World Cup gambling raids

More than 5,000 people have been arrested in Asia in a coordinated swoop against illegal football betting during the World Cup. The France-based international police agency Interpol said Friday the arrests were made by police in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Reuters

Interpol, which helped to orchestrate the month-long operation, said officers had raided more than 800 illegal gambling dens that had handled more than 119 million euros in bets.

Police seized 7.7 million euros in cash along with other alleged criminal assets such as cars, bank cards, computers and mobile phones.
 

Interpol’s executive director for police services, Jean-Michel Louboutin, said in a statement released the organisation's headquarters in Lyon, central France, the results were “impressive", declaring a blow had been struck against underworld gangs.

"As well as having clear connections to organised crime, illegal football gambling is also linked with corruption, money laundering and prostitution," he said.

"The information gathered will now be reviewed and analysed to determine the potential involvement of other individuals or gangs across the region and beyond."

The operation ran between 11 June and 11 July, during a time when hundreds of millions of fans around the globe were watching the tournament.

Many supporters gambled on the results, sometimes legally and sometimes with unlicensed bookmakers.

The World Cup operation was dubbed Soga III and followed two smaller series of raids.

Friday's announcement came a week after Hong Kong said it had smashed a huge illegal football gambling syndicate.