Macau police bust S$805m World Cup gambling ring
Macau police said on Friday they had busted an illegal gambling outfit that racked up HK$5 billion (S$805 million) in wagers on the World Cup in a week.
It included a single bet of US$5.1 million.
Twenty-two people were arrested in the operation, which police described as the largest-ever case of its kind in the Asian gambling enclave, according to reports.
“Records showed that (betting) had reached HK$5 billion. It has already surpassed the biggest betting case in history,” Mr Suen Kam-fai, a spokesman for the Macau police told Hong Kong’s Cable News channel.
More than HK$2 million in cash was found in Macau hotel rooms that served as the ring’s operating base, along with computers, records and other items.
Police found evidence of the US$5.1 million bet during the bust, according to the South China Morning Post.
Footage shown on the channel showed those arrested wearing black masks and handcuffs, lined up during a press conference, AFP reported
The group was composed of four Hong Kong residents, nine Malaysians and nine from the Chinese mainland, the Post reported.
Source: AFP
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