Malaysia Police Arrests Illegal Betting Suspects

The FIFA World Cup is the most popular and beloved event in professional soccer. As such it always attracts fans and bettors from all over the world. Unfortunately, some of these punters are not all that willing to follow the rules. The police in Malaysia, for example, just busted an alleged illegal gambling scheme.

10 People Were Arrested in Malaysia

Johor law enforcers arrested a total of 10 locals who are suspected to be involved with an illegal gambling scheme. Two of these people, one aged 22 and another aged 43, were likely serving as unlicensed soccer bookmakers.

Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat, chief of the Johor police, reported that the value of the betting limit credit was over $223,200. He also said that the police confiscated around $2,200 in cash, 10 phones and several SIM cards. A notepad where the unlicensed bookmakers wrote down the illegal World Cup bets was also found.

Mamat added that the suspects are being remanded for the next few days and said that the investigation continues. In accordance with Section 6 (3) of Malaysia’s Betting Act 1953, the wrongdoers risk up to five years in prison and fines of up to $4,450.

Mamat concluded that this operation may not have been so successful if not for the information that the public provided and the hard work of the Johor police. The police chief urged anyone who might know more about this case or another to contact the police and report it.

Unlicensed Betting Continues to Be a Global Problem

Unfortunately, the scope of the World Cup tends to attract fraudulent activities or problematic offerings that do not always follow the rules set by local regulators.

In Vietnam, for example, the police just cracked down on an illegal betting ring with multiple venues in Ho Chi Minh City and across Dong Nai province. The ring’s transactions were valued at a whopping $1.2 billion. The criminals offered illegal betting on sports such as soccer and cockfighting. They also offered illegal lottery games and sometimes had a total weekly handle of over $4 million.

Ahead of the World Cup, members of the illegal ring went journeyed to neighboring provinces to take bets from locals, expanding the operation’s reach.

Meanwhile, in Europe, the Kansspelautoriteit just reprimanded a handful of operators for not complying with the rules and offering disallowed gambling offerings. Another operator, on the other hand, had launched a commercial that features local celebrities – something that is strictly forbidden in the country.