BANGKOK, June 25: More than 500 people have been arrested in Bangkok for five million dollars' worth of illegal gambling on football since the World Cup kicked off early this month, police said on Sunday.

Among the 532 people arrested were 94 bookies. Collectively, all those arrested were involved in 197 million baht (5.1 million dollars) of illegal bets, police Colonel Pinit Maneerat said.

Police have deployed 100 special units to crack down on gambling during the World Cup, staging raids on bars and other entertainment areas.

Although Thailand does not compete in the World Cup, the football-mad nation is expected to wager some one billion dollars on the tournament, according to one research center.

Pinit said he was optimistic that the amount of money wagered would drop significantly as authorities target some of the country's biggest bookies.—AFP