Hong Kong police seize more than HK$400 million in betting records in largest haul of Euro 2016
Nineteen arrested in crackdown on bookmakers hours before semi-final between Wales and Portugal
Hong Kong police confiscated more than HK$400 million in illegal soccer bets in a series of raids hours before the Euro 2016 semi-final between Wales and Portugal – more than three times the amount seized during the whole of the 2012 tournament.
Nineteen people from five bookmaking rackets including a woman visitor from the mainland were rounded up in the eight-hour raids across the city on Wednesday, part of a month-long operation codenamed “Crowbeak” that will end on Monday.
“Initial investigation shows most of the arrested are bookmakers who allegedly helped overseas-based bookmaking rackets to collect illegal bets in Hong Kong,” a source with knowledge of the investigation said.
“The bookies were given one to two per cent of the amount of bets they collected.”
It is understood that some of the syndicates were based in mainland China and the Philippines.