During the recent Global Lottery Monitoring System (GLMS) forum in Singapore, Chris Eaton the ex-FIFA security chief stated that Singapore was no longer the center for match-fixing in Asia as the match-fixing syndicates had moved their operation over to neighboring Malaysia.

Match-fixing has turned out to be a serious problem for sports in Asia and popular games such as football and cricket have been significant impacted by betting syndicates. Singapore made a major breakthrough in 2013 when the authorities arrested Dan Tan, who was allegedly operated one of the biggest match-fixing syndicates in Asia.

When Tan was arrested, Ronald Noble the former chief of Interpol stated that the betting syndicate that Tan operated was the most aggressive and largest matching fixing syndicate in the world and had connections in every continent.

Eaton who is also the former executive director for sport integrity at the International Center for Sports Security (ICSS) stated that Malaysia had now turned into the epicenter of trade in Southeast Asia and pointed out that there are still a few syndicates left in Singapore that continue to work closely with the syndicates in Malaysia. Christian Kalb, the director for Paris-based CK Consulting, a gaming firm also spoke at the GLMS forum and stated that the global illegal betting market is estimated to be around $553 billion.

These allegations did not go down well with Malaysia’s Inspector General of Police (IGP), Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar who was quick to release a statement and debunk the allegations made by Eaton. The IGP stated that the Royal Malaysian Police have not received any information from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the Federation of International Association (FIFA) or any other sporting associations expressing concern over Malaysia being a hub for illegal betting operators.

In a statement, Abu Bakar said “The Royal Malaysian Police is a member of the Football Association Malaysia integrity committee, a committee set up to tackle corruption and match-fixing. We have taken active measures to maintain integrity in the sport, and we will continue to do so.”

Twenty-seven lottery operators got together in 2015 to create the GLMS in order to monitor match-fixing around the globe.