Four thousand plus arrested in Euro 2016 illegal gambling stings
Interpol has confirmed that over 4,100 arrests were made and $13.6m has been seized in two separate operations focused on Asia-facing illegal gambling dens and websites during UEFA Euro 2016.
Almost 4,000 raids were carried out across China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, France and Greece as part of Operation SOGA VI (soccer gambling).
The illegal dens are alleged to have handled bets worth $649m in total.
Aces, the second operation, focused on Cambodia, Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam and targeted the networks behind “illicit websites” and operations from call centres operating online scams, leading to 33 arrests.
Three Thailand offices operating illegal online gambling sites have been shut down and 15 individuals have been arrested by Malaysian police in connection with payment card fraud.
As the name suggests, the SOGA VI operation was the sixth of its kind, and the operations have now led to more than 12,500 arrests and $53m being seized, while over 3,400 illegal gambling dens that have handled approximately $6.4bn in bets have been closed.
Chan Lok-wing, Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Expert Group on Organized Crime, said: “The number of seizures is the highest and most significant amongst 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.”
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