Police arrest 5,000 in raid over illegal World Cup betting

POLICE in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand arrested more than 5,000 people in a co-ordinated swoop against illegal football betting during the World Cup, Interpol said yesterday.

The international police agency, which helped co-ordinate the month-long operation, said officers had raided more than 800 illegal gambling dens that had handled more than €119 million in bets.

“The results we have seen are impressive,” said Interpol executive director for police services Jean-Michel Louboutin, in a statement released by the agency’s headquarters in Lyon, central France.