Interpol cracks down on illegal gambling

The agency interrupted organised crime networks involving illegal gambling across Asia.

China.- The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) revealed on Friday that it has arrested 16 people in a large operation against illegal gambling at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The arrests come after possible involvement in illegal gambling run in Macau, which targeted gamblers in Mainland China.

The international police agency said that between June 22nd and July 16th thousands of raids were carried out and the individuals were arrested in an INTERPOL-led operation. The arrests, which were made in Macau and Hong Kong, come after 14,900 raids at illegal gambling dens in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, and were estimated to have handled US$1.6 billion.

Chief Superintendent Tat-Shing Man of Hong Kong’s Organized Crime and Triad Bureau, said: “With the Hong Kong Police Force alone seizing betting slips worth US$16.8 million, Operation SOGA VII owes its success largely to the power of global and regional police cooperation through INTERPOL.”

INTERPOL’s Director of Organized and Emerging Crime, Paul Stanfield, added: “Such online platforms have brought an international dimension to the phenomenon and are often located in jurisdictions with few regulations on sports betting, presenting additional challenges for police. A coordinated international response is necessary to tackle this type of crime, especially as it moves from gambling dens to Internet-based illegal betting operations.”