Illegal gambling on Euro 2020 leads to 1,400 arrests
Huge-scale Interpol operation gamble pays off as thousands of raids lead to arrests and seizure of millions in cash
Interpol’s Operation SOGA VIII led to 1,400 suspects being arrested and $7.9m being seized in cash as a result of thousands of raids across Asia and Europe during the Euro 2020 tournament. Computers and mobile phones were also confiscated, all of which were related to nearly $465m in bets.
Interpol’s Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption units led the investigation, with support from the Asia-Pacific Expert Group on Organized Crime (APEG) and the Interpol Match-Fixing Task Force (IMFTF).
The collaboration between these particular organisations is evidence of the link between illegal gambling and other crimes, such as money laundering and corruption.
The 2021 operation also highlighted the increase in online activity when it comes to the crimes in question.
As Roberto Ribaudo, director of economic and financial crime division at Interpol’s National Central Bureau in Rome put it: “This year’s operation showed a clear shift to online activities, with criminals taking full advantage of financial technology, including the use of international gambling websites and online bank accounts.”
This was something also reported by officers in the field, who saw evidence of individuals offering gambling tips or even payment in exchange for others opening online bank accounts for money transfers.
Over in Asia, the Hong Kong Police detained more than 800 suspects, also seizing nearly $2.7m and records with details of hundreds of millions in bets. The police also arrested the alleged kingpin of a triad-controlled bookmaking syndicate.
“Our collective experience helped us anticipate links between betting syndicates and their illegal counterparts during Euro 2020. This, ultimately, led us to organised crime groups acting on a global scale and generating huge profits,” explained Wong Wai, head of Hong Kong Police’s Organized Crime and Triad Bureau and chairman of Interpol’s Asia-Pacific Expert Group on Organized Crime.