Chinese officials are cracking down on illegal World Cup betting, according to a report from Reuters, via the Washington Post:
Chinese police have pledged a “most severe” crackdown on football gambling during the World Cup after authorities broke up what they called the biggest ever online gambling ring in Hong Kong last week.
China’s anti-gambling police unit will closely monitor online betting activity during the World Cup, the Ministry of Public Security said, following the joint campaign by Hong Kong and Shenzhen police in China which netted 70 people.
The gambling ring had taken more than HK$100 million in football-related bets, the official Xinhua news agency said.
“We will put the highest priority on smashing football gambling on the internet during the World Cup,” ministry spokesman Gu Jian was quoted as saying. “We will continue to exert great pressure and take severe measures against gambling.”