Over 4,000 Busted in Euro Cup Betting Operations

Over 4,000 people have been arrested in Europe and Asia due to illegal Euro Cup soccer (football) betting. Additionally, over $13 million in bookmaking profits have been seized from the arrested.

Global police agency Interpol calls this operation the “most significant in recent years,” citing 4,000-plus raids in China, , Greece, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Called Operation SOGA VI (soccer gambling), Interpol targeted various illegal gambling dens that handled a combined $649 million in bets. And those involved in the SOGA busts believe that they’ve dealt a big blow to those behind illegal betting.

“The number of seizures is the highest and most significant amongst similar operations in recent years,” said Chan Lok-wing, Chief Superintendent of Hong Kong’s Organized Crime and Triad Bureau. “The SOGA operations are important for tackling not just illegal gambling, but also the organised networks behind this and other types of crime.”

Huffington Post reports that a second operation caught transnational networks that were backing illegal betting websites and call-center operations.

Reports of these arrests come on the heels of a big spike in Chinese soccer betting. Despite online gambling being illegal in China, its citizens caught Euro Cup fever and were wagering through chat services, private groups and apps.

Tech companies like Alibaba and Tencent tried to minimize the betting by cracking down on gambling apps. But due to millions of Chinese engaging in illegal online betting, the tech companies’ efforts had minimal impact.

Chinese police also attempted to slow down soccer betting by making some huge busts. One raid in southern Guangdong saw over 147 people arrested and 100 million yuan ($15 million) frozen.

The biggest reason why soccer betting spiked in China during the Euro Cup is because the country has been making more investments in the game. Specifically, Chinese firms have spent a record amount of money on overseas clubs and media rights.

These large investments have even convinced soccer stars to play in China on multi-million-dollar deals.

“With the European Cup everyone’s betting on soccer, but also over the last couple of years China’s soccer market has developed rapidly,” said Hu Naijun, who’s an assistant professor at Beijing University. “Big investments and star names create a real lure.”

While the aforementioned police action will be a deterrent from future soccer betting, it’s unlikely to stop the activity completely because of the game’s increased popularity.