Illegal World Cup Sports Betting Syndicate Uncovered in Macau

Authorities in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau reportedly uncovered an illegal World Cup sports betting syndicate that generated millions of dollars in revenue. BBC reported that police raided hotel rooms in Macau and arrested 26 people who have been charged with taking phone and online bets from gamblers around the world.  According to the media outlet, one gambler placed a single bet of a staggering $5 million on a World Cup game. Police have said that this is the largest illegal gambling syndicate discovered in Macau.

The first raid took place on Thursday when it was discovered that a massive gambling syndicate was operating in Macau. Evidence of betting slips and accounts, as well as a large amount of cash was found.  A second sweep of raids took place on Friday.

The police said that most of the men arrested come from mainland China, Hong Kong and Malaysia and were aged between 22 and 50.  The police wanted to make an example out of their arrest and paraded them in front of the media, handcuffed and with black bags over their heads.

The police said that they were now looking for people who placed the bets.

“The arrests are part of a continuing crackdown on illegal bookmaking in Macau,” said a police spokeswoman.

Since before the World Cup, Asian countries have been in collaboration regarding illegal sports betting on the 2014 FIFA World Cup event in Brazil.   Hong Kong police have been working with Interpol across eight different countries and over the past week nearly 40 people have been arrested.

According to the South China Morning Post, “Hong Kong’s illegal sports betting market is believed to have generated HK$500 billion in turnover last year – four times that of the racing and soccer betting operations of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, which has a government monopoly on gambling.”