Chinese authorities have made further sweeping arrests as they continue their clampdown on online gambling.
The Xinhua news agency last week reported that Chinese police had made 3,600 arrests, confiscated 700 million yuan ($102 million), and 'cracked' 740 online gambling cases.
Of those arrested, 180 were linked to operations in Hong Kong, Macao, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Details on charges and individual cases were typically vague. A statement from the The Ministry of Public Security of China on Sunday said it would crack down on World Cup internet betting and those caught could face severe penalties.
Despite a general prohibition on online gambling, it is estimated that Chinese residents bet around $73 billion on the 2006 World Cup and double digit growth is expected on this figure for the 2010 tournament. Growth in online betting, on soccer particularly, has been strong through Asia.
Operators of the Singapore Pools estimate that estimated that the rate of participation in illegal soccer betting in that country has grown 0.1 percent to 1 percent in just 3 years. And prohibitions and stiff penalties don't seem to be discouraging punters.
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