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Police conducted a large-scale anti-illegal bookmaking operation codenamed ¡§CROWBEAK¡¨ during the World Cup period between June and July, resulting in the arrest of 176 persons and seizure of betting records valued at $750 million.
In this large-scale anti-illegal bookmaking operation, Police searched a total of 140 locations, leading to 97 successful raids and the arrest of 176 persons, including 143 males and 33 females, aged between 20 and 65. The offences involved were ¡§engaging in bookmaking¡¨, ¡§betting with a bookmaker¡¨ and ¡§dealing with proceeds known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence¡¨.
Police also seized betting records totalling $750 million, 62 sets of computers and restrained assets valued at $13 million in the operation.
The number of successful raids, the number of arrests and the value of betting record seized during the previous World Cup in 2010 were 96, 235 and $361 million respectively.
In the operation this year, one was a significant cross-boundary bookmaking case jointly detected by Hong Kong Police (HKP) and the Mainland Police.
On June 8, HKP and Shenzhen Public Security Bureau (PSB) conducted a joint operation codenamed ¡§FIRESWATTER¡¨ against a cross-boundary bookmaking syndicate. HKP raided 22 locations, arrested 26 persons and seized betting records valued at $370 million and $11 million in cash. Shenzhen PSB also arrested three persons, including the mastermind from Hong Kong, and seized betting records amounted to RMB 320 million.
Police are determined and capable of combating illegal bookmaking. Police will continue combating such bookmaking activities, cutting the sources of illegal income of criminal gangs and recovering crime proceeds.
Ends/Friday, July 18, 2014
Issued at HKT 13:00
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