November 24, 2007	Saturday	Ziqa’ad 13, 1428

SINGAPORE, Nov 23: Interpol has uncovered $680 million worth of illegal football betting across Asia after a series of raids, Singapore police said on Friday.

Planning for the raids took place from June and was timed to match the start of major football seasons, with illegal betting found in all the participating countries including Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

In Singapore, police arrested 20 people.

Those convicted of acting as an illegal bookmaker face a fine of between S$20,000 and S$200,000 ($138,800) and a maximum jail term of five years, while those betting illegally face a 6-month jail term.

“Increasingly football betting has become one of the more popular forms of gambling activity amongst Singaporeans,” a police statement said.

“There are numerous legitimate avenues for this betting – some people still prefer to place bets with the illegal football bookmakers.”—Reuters