- KUALA LUMPUR: Four members of illegal gambling syndicates were nabbed this month under the Prevention of Crime Act (POCA) 1959, according to Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador.
- The gambling syndicate the suspects belonged to allegedly had 36 properties with an estimated value of about $39 million and $6.5 million in bank accounts, police said.
Gambling Syndicate Singapore Official
One of the greatest challenges to the Asian gambling industry are the betting syndicates. They are rampant in the East and have been accused of influencing the outcome of sporting events in Asia, Africa and even the United Kingdom. Betting syndicates exist in almost every country in the world and are normally illegal because of the influence they hold. In Asia, because the dollars available are so much higher, they are particularly problematic.
Understanding Betting Syndicates
A betting syndicate is a group of gamblers who pool their money together in order to increase their odds of winning. They syndicate takes its members’ money and makes bets typically on sporting events, but also on odd things such as politics and weather. When the betting syndicate wins the bet, they pay out based on the percentage of money each gambler put in, with ever increasing online portals like M88 – betting syndicates are on the increase.
Why are they Illegal?
Gambling Syndicate Singapore Contact
Syndicates are illegal because of the influence they can have over sporting events. Larger betting syndicates, such as some of the Asian ones, have enough money to bribe players, refs or even broadcasters and can change the outcome of sporting events. Additionally, they are normally run by organized crime, linking them to other illegal activities.
The gambling syndicate collected illegal bets based on the same draw dates and same winning numbers as Singapore Pools’ “4D” and “TOTO” lottery games.
Asian Betting Syndicates
In 1997, in Upton Park, the lights went out during an important football game. As the crowd groaned, an Asian syndicate celebrated a huge payout. In the case of an abandoned game, most football games let the score stand “as is.” This allowed the Asian syndicate to pull the plug when their team pulled ahead. What had happened is that a security guard had been bribed by the syndicate to cut the lights by remote control when advised by his contact. In 2010, a Singapore syndicated was blamed for a bizarre outcome to an Italian football game. In the last quarter, the winning team started acting weird, to the effect, that a doctor was called to see if they were ill. They were not; they were just throwing the game as instructed by their syndicate boss. More recently, another Asian syndicate claimed to have fixed the FIFA world cup qualifiers by controlling an entire African football team. By controlling this team, the syndicate was allegedly able to advance the teams they wanted to the final rounds.
Gambling Syndicate Singapore Promotion
The Asian syndicates have far-reaching influence. Although the majority of their control is centered in East, they have fingers stretching as far as the Africa, the U.K. and even the U.S.A. Certainly the power they have, has had an effect on sporting events all over the world, creating outcomes and match-ups that were never meant to be.