Hong Kong police break up suspected multimillion-dollar football bookmaking syndicate

Police arrest suspected ringleader, two assistants in second major anti-gambling operation in three weeks

Officers seize HK$10 million in cash, betting records, money counters from hotel room being used as headquarters

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Police display millions of dollars in cash seized in a raid on a suspected illegal bookmaking operation. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Published: 4:48pm, 9 Jul 2021Updated: 11:12pm, 9 Jul 2021

Hong Kong police have broken up a suspected triad-controlled bookmaking syndicate believed to have taken in more than HK$120 million (US$15.4 million) in illegal football bets, arresting the alleged ringleader and two others in a raid on the hotel room the group used as its headquarters.

Officers raided the makeshift operations centre in Hung Hom shortly after the Euro 2020 football match between England and Denmark ended on Thursday morning, seizing more than HK$10 million in cash, and betting records accounting for many millions more, along with banknote counters, phones and computers, Chief Inspector Cheung Siu-lok of the organised crime and triad bureau said.

“The cash seized in this operation was the biggest sum in a crackdown of this kind in recent years,” Cheung said on Friday.

Chief Inspector Cheung Siu-lok (right) did not rule out the possibility of further arrests. Photo: Jonathan Wong

He added that an investigation indicated the illegal betting ring had been in operation for about a year.

According to the force, the racket turned the hotel room into its operations base, taking bets online and over the phone. The transactions between its bookies and punters were conducted in cash.