Police arrest 39 for illegal football betting as part of global crackdown
The exterior of the Interpol Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore. The Singapore Police Force has made several arrests as part of the Interpol-led Operation SOGA VI, meant to crack down on illegal soccer gambling. TODAY file photo.
SINGAPORE — The police have arrested 39 suspects in a series of raids since early June, as part of a multinational operation led by Interpol against illegal football betting syndicates that are estimated to have handled US$649 million (S$875.5 million).
The value of illegal bets collected by the suspects arrested in Singapore totalled more than S$2.5 million, based on preliminary investigations, said the police in a statement on Monday (July 18).
The police added that they seized more than S$650,000 in cash, computers, laptops, modems, routers, mobile phones and other items that were allegedly used to carry out illegal betting activities.
More than S$810,000 has been seized from these suspects’ bank accounts, it added, noting that investigations against these individuals are ongoing.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Investigations & Intelligence) Tan Chye Hee, who is also Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, said: “The series of operations conducted in Singapore reinforces the police’s determination to stamp out unlawful remote gambling. The Singapore Police Force will continue to work with Interpol and our foreign counterparts to take tough enforcement actions against those who flout the law.”
Under the Remote Gambling Act, an illegal punter could be fined up to S$5,000 and/or jailed for up to six months. Anyone who provides such illegal services could be fined between S$20,000 and S$200,000 and/or jailed for up to five years.
The raids here are part of the Interpol-led Operation Soga VI (short for soccer gambling). In total, nearly 4,000 raids were carried out across China — including Hong Kong and Macau — France, Greece, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam on illegal gambling dens.
“The number of seizures is the highest and most significant among similar operations in recent years. The Soga operations are important for tackling not just illegal gambling, but also the organised networks behind this and other types of crime,” said Chief Superintendent Chan Lok-wing, Head of Hong Kong Police Force’s Organised Crime and Triad Bureau and current chairman of the Asia-Pacific Expert Group on Organized Crime.
