Hong Kong Police Cracking Down On World Cup Betting

The police in Hong Kong, China have set-up a special task force to crack down on illegal sports betting. With residents gearing up to place a bet on the World Cup in South Africa, the government is stepping up efforts to squash any efforts to place a bet from Hong Kong.

Sports betting over the Internet is extremely popular in Hong Kong, but many bettors are finding it difficult to gain access to sites where they can place a bet. Betting on football is legal within the country, but it can only be done through the local Jockey Club. It is said that many bookmakers in Hong Kong work as a middle-man for local residents and the offshore online betting sites.

Police cannot go after the foreign sportsbooks but they are confident that they will be able to
crack down on the bookies that are placing the bets online for local citizens. It is estimated
that the local government loses over $13 million from wagers that are place at foreign online
betting sites every year by local residents. Their isn’t much that can be done to stop offshore
online betting. Governments need to regulate online betting and bring in new gaming revenue.