The commencement of major summer sports events, such as football’s EURO 2024 and cricket’s T20 World Cup, is highlighting the surge in illegal betting during major competitions.
Police in India arrested several people connected to an international illegal betting operation that was illegally live-streaming T20 World Cup matches. Police in multiple countries, including Hong Kong (China), India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, have made scores of arrests in connection with illegal betting around EURO 2024.
In Hong Kong, police arrested 57 people for illegal gambling rings that raked in HK$460 million (US$58.9 million). According to the South China Morning Post on 17 June 2024, the operation named "Nearspace" was launched shortly before the start of the Euro football championship in Germany. Hong Kong police have noted a growing shift towards digitalization in illegal bookmaking, where gamblers can access websites through online advertisements and add funds to their accounts via bank transfers.
In India, the Centre for Knowledge Sovereignty reported that "the illegal betting market receives an estimated $100 billion per annum in deposits." A report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance highlighted the growing trend of using international online betting sites for money laundering, with suspicious transactions linked to betting companies registered in countries like Curacao, Malta, and Cyprus.
In Indonesia, the Financial Intelligence Agency blocked 5,000 bank accounts linked to online gambling, which channeled trillions of rupiah overseas. Authorities have identified fund flows to several ASEAN countries.
In the Philippines, authorities have intensified their crackdown on offshore gambling operators, some run by Chinese firms, due to their links to criminal activities such as human trafficking and fraud. The number of these unlicensed operators greatly exceeds the number of legal operators in the country.
In Thailand, police arrested over 1,800 people for illegal gambling related to Euro 2024. These illegal activities generated over 1.4 billion baht (USD 38 million).
In Vietnam, police dismantled a football betting ring that accepted wagers on Euro 2024 matches, conducting transactions worth a combined $39 million and arresting 12 suspects.
Reports from agencies involved in the operations, as well as related research, continue to provide evidence of the enormous amounts of money being generated by illegal betting groups.
18+ | Juegoseguro.es – Jugarbien.es
