Asian punters still betting on World Cup outcomes

Despite the consistently tough police campaign against illegal online gambling in Malaysia and Singapore (see previous  reports) punters in the region continue to bet on outcomes in the currently running World Cup football in Brazil, the police in both nations have revealed.

Over the weekend Singapore police arrested 15 individuals between the ages of 23 and 70 who were allegedly facilitating wagering on World Cup matches through internet websites. In raids on premises around the island police seized cash valued at around $350,000, computers and documentary and banking evidence, estimating that the ring had handled about $800,000 over the past two weeks alone.

In Malaysia, police working as part of Operation Soga in Kedah arrested two illegal bookies who allegedly organised online bets on World Cup matches for local punters.

In separate raids the officers seized laptops and wifi modems, along with cash and incriminating documentary evidence.

A police spokesman said the men, one aged 20 and the other in his fifties, appeared to be operating with different syndicates.

Late last week police seized computers and other evidence, including a substantial sum of cash, and arrested 12 individuals in various locations in Penang for facilitating online betting on the World Cup, whilst in Macau a massive multi-million dollar betting ring was smashed with the collaboration of mainland and Hong Kong police forces (see previous report).

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