Law enforcement officials in Taiwan reportedly busted an underground online sportsbetting operation last week that was allegedly providing its services to local and Chinese punters with a primary focus on European football matches.
According to a report from the state-owned Central News Agency, the Asian nation’s Criminal Investigation Bureau raided four locations in Taichung City on Wednesday and arrested 33 individuals while also seizing computers, mobile telephones, China UnionPay bank cards and more than $16,500 in cash.
The Central News Agency reported that the illegal online sportsbetting operation, which had been masterminded by an individual with the surname of “Tseng”, was alleged to have had handled wagers totaling some $11.3 million at an average rate of around $74,500 per day since being established in December.
The news service additionally reported that “Tseng” had employed more than a dozen people to work around-the-clock in three shifts in order to provide bettors with a way to place wagers utilizing bank accounts in China or the Alipay online payments platform. The illegal operation moreover allegedly supplied online consultation services and had recruited players via text messaging services and social media.
Taiwan operates a zero-tolerance policy towards online gambling of any kind as the only legal form of betting is through the nation’s state-run lottery while the Central News Agency reported that those detained in the raids had been handed over to the Taichung District Prosecutors Office for further investigation.