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Note to self: If planning to place wagers on the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Thailand is probably not the best option.
Police in that Southeastern Asian nation announced the arrest of 5064 people for illegally gambling on this year’s World Cup. That is a sharp increase from four years ago, according to media reports. 3800 were arrested at that time.
Bookmakers were not immune from the crackdown either as 258 of them were taken into custody.
If convicted, each individual arrested is facing up to two years in prison and a fine. Most, however, will not serve a day behind bars as the government is primarily looking to punish those who have taken in significant amounts of money.
Illegal betting on the World Cup has been an issue across the globe over these past few weeks.
Eight people from Malaysia, China and Hong Kong were accused Monday of operating a temporary, illegal gambling ring from exclusive high-roller villas at a Las Vegas Strip resort that investigators said logged millions of dollars in bets on FIFA World Cup soccer games.
Meanwhile, legal bookmakers raked in record cash on this year’s World Cup. William Hill already beat its own 200 million pound target for the entire World Cup prior to Sunday’s game. About 40 million pounds ($68 million) was expected to have been placed on the Final at Ladbrokes.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
