As with any major sporting event, it is expected that there are enterprising individuals or entities who take advantage of the phenomenon and turn it into an opportunity to earn money, albeit illegally. With the launch of the 2014 World Cup last week, it is to no one's surprise that a boom in illegal betting could be observed in every part of the globe.
In China, even low-average workers like Chinese native Chen would bet on almost more than their take-home pay in the hopes of winning more money from the World Cup matches. Chen, who is an avid bettor on sports including basketball games of the National Basketball Association, has already wagered between 2,000-3,000 yuan ($320-$480) through black market online bookies and has expressed plans to bet more on bigger, upcoming games.
Warwick Bartlett, CEO of Global Betting & Gaming Consultants, which is based on the Isle of Man, said about the surge of illegal gambling in Asia, "It is the biggest single gambling event of the decade and each World Cup gets bigger. (However), the propensity to gamble in Asia is stronger than anywhere else on the planet, yet there are few legalized gambling opportunities."
Although there are several legal sports betting outfits in a handful of Asian cities including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, the attractiveness of illegal online bookmaking outfits to individuals is reportedly due to the latter's offer of better prices, odds, wider variety of bet types and credit.
Asian authorities had been attempting to crack down on illegal gambling, and was able to dismantle a number of gambling rings in recent weeks, Boston.com said. In May this year, police in Singapore have arrested 18 people who are allegedly involved in an illicit football betting ring. The measure had them seizing 1.4 million Singapore dollars ($1.1 million) in cash and uncovered records which documented the suspects receiving S$8 million ($6.3 million) in illegal bets in the last two weeks before the raid.
Although the concerted efforts of authorities can be applauded, football organizations can only do so much to ensure that at least their matches are not tainted by gambling bets. Hong Kong Jockey Club director of trading Patrick Jay said, "There's no doubt the match fixers will look at those games. However, FIFA, EUFA and Interpol are all over this now. FIFA and Interpol are in the dressing rooms, they're in the stadiums, their security people are in the hotels, they're liaising with bookmakers, sports governing bodies, sponsors, security people."
