Tackling illegal football betting

The Euro 2016 football cup in France kicked off on June 10. In order to prevent illegal football betting, the Judiciary Police (PJ), in cooperation with the Public Security Police (PSP), is organising a crime prevention activity in the NAPE district, according to local broadcaster TDM.
“The police will be present in bars and establishments, where football fans gather, to raise awareness against this illegal practice,” PJ spokesperson Tam Veng Keong told TDM. The PJ spokesperson added that police patrols will be reinforced around the establishments in order to prevent any illegal sports betting activities, and that the authorities will work with the education sector to avoid betting in regards to football.
The campaign comes after the SAR Government renewed its five-year contract with Macao SLOT Co. Ltd. for its instant lottery, football and basketball betting concession, Business Daily reported previously.
A regional joint effort 
The prevention and awareness campaign, is a concerted effort between Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Macau police authorities to fight illegal sports betting, according to the PJ.
Last week, the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department (GPPSD) revealed that 40,000 gamblers were involved in illegal football betting in the region, with almost 2,500 arrests being made in the first half of 2016, of which 1,500 involved the running of illicit betting schemes, according to gaming news website CalvinEyre.
According to the website, Guangdong’s deputy director of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the provincial Department of Public Security, Qian Bo, stated he was looking to expand cooperation and information exchanges with neighbouring regions in order to launch more joint operations to fight organized cross-border crimes, as illegal betting is expected to surge during the football tournament.