57 people arrested in Hong Kong over illegal gambling rings that raked in HK$460 million
have arrested almost 60 people in a crackdown on overseas gambling websites that have raked in HK$460 million (US$58.9 million) in illegal bets on football matches, horse racing and card games since the start of the year.The force said on Monday that the 57 people – 49 men and eight women – had been detained as part of an operation code-named “Nearspace” that kicked off last Thursday, about 24 hours before the Euro football championship in Germany started.
Chief Inspector Wong Yu-fai, of the force’s organised crime and triad bureau, said those arrested included five alleged core members said to be behind the five gambling websites.
He added the others included 20 middlemen accused of control over bookmaking accounts linked to the websites.
Wong said the others arrested were mostly alleged to be holders of bank accounts used to launder the proceeds of crime.
The force said Nearspace was launched in the wake of a growing shift towards digitalisation of bookmaking.
Wong explained the operation revealed that “a significant proportion of these gambling websites use servers located outside the city to store data”.
He said the investigation and analysis of intelligence led police to identify the five most active gambling websites, which had taken HK$460 million in illegal bets in less than six months.
Police moved in last Thursday and rounded up people alleged to be involved.
“Police also found HK$164 million in illegal bets related to football, horse racing and online casino gambling bets on the electronic devices of some of the middlemen and their login accounts on the gambling websites,” Wong said.
He added it was possible the records managed by the middlemen involved illegal bets from clients.
Wong said that officers found some people were prepared to volunteer their bank accounts or stored-value accounts to be used by criminal organisations to launder their ill-gotten gains.
All those arrested were detained on suspicion of conspiracy to collect illegal bets and money laundering – offences punishable by up to 14 years in jail.
Police said some of them were alleged to have triad connections. The force added most of those arrested had been released on bail and that inquiries continued.
Senior Inspector Wong Chun-hong, from the same bureau, said officers had spotted that illegal activity related to betting on football had shifted online in recent years.
He added gamblers could access the websites by clicking on links in online advertisements and add funds to their accounts through bank transfers, which enabled them to gamble.
Wong Chun-hong warned that many gambling websites said they were legally registered overseas.
But he emphasised that “apart from gambling organisations or venues approved by Hong Kong laws, all other websites claiming to be legal gambling sites are considered illegal”.
Wong Chun-hong said, based on past experience, public interest in football betting would increase over the Euro 2024 tournament, which was scheduled to run until July 14.
But he said members of the public should only place bets through legal channels.
A police source said punters used illegal operators instead of legitimate Jockey Club off-course betting centres because other bookmakers offered betting combinations not available at the city’s legal venues.Police said further arrests as part of Nearspace had not been not ruled out and that the operation would continue.
Anyone convicted of illegal bookmaking in Hong Kong faces a maximum penalty of seven years in jail and a HK$5 million fine.
Placing a bet with an unauthorised bookmaker is punishable by up to nine months in prison and a HK$50,000 fine.
