Asian police arrest 5,000 over World Cup betting AFP - Saturday, July 17Send IM Story Print
Asian police arrest 5,000 over World Cup betting
LYON, France (AFP) - Police in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand arrested more than 5,000 people in a coordinated swoop against illegal football betting during the World Cup, Interpol said Friday.
The international police agency, which helped coordinate the month-long operation, said officers had raided more than 800 illegal gambling dens that had handled more than 155 million dollars (119 million euros) in bets.
"The results we have seen are impressive," said Interpol executive director for police services Jean-Michel Louboutin, in a statement released by the agency's headquarters in Lyon, central France.
"As well as having clear connections to organised crime, illegal soccer gambling is also linked with corruption, money laundering and prostitution," he said, declaring a blow had been struck against underworld gangs.
The operation ran between June 11 and July 11, during a time when hundreds of millions of fans around the globe were glued to their television screens, following the action from the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
Asian police arrest 5,000 over World Cup betting
LYON, France (AFP) - Police in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand arrested more than 5,000 people in a coordinated swoop against illegal football betting during the World Cup, Interpol said Friday.
The international police agency, which helped coordinate the month-long operation, said officers had raided more than 800 illegal gambling dens that had handled more than 155 million dollars (119 million euros) in bets.
"The results we have seen are impressive," said Interpol executive director for police services Jean-Michel Louboutin, in a statement released by the agency's headquarters in Lyon, central France.
"As well as having clear connections to organised crime, illegal soccer gambling is also linked with corruption, money laundering and prostitution," he said, declaring a blow had been struck against underworld gangs.
The operation ran between June 11 and July 11, during a time when hundreds of millions of fans around the globe were glued to their television screens, following the action from the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
