58 nabbed in crackdown on illegal World Cup betting

PETALING JAYA: Police arrested 58 people, including four women, for their alleged involvement in illegal betting and online gambling in connection with matches in the ongoing World Cup 2026 football tournament.

Bukit Aman criminal investigation department (CID) chief M Kumar said the arrests were made during nationwide raids, under an operation codenamed “Op Soga XI”, which runs from June 11 to July 19.

“Fifty-two raids have been conducted, resulting in the arrest of 58 suspects, comprising 54 men and four women, believed to be involved in illegal betting and online gambling,” he said in a statement.

Kumar said the suspects have been taken to the relevant district police headquarters for documentation and further investigation.

He added that police seized RM25,684.65 in cash, while the total value of bets involved amounted to RM488,582.47.

According to Kumar, the operation identified 42 online platforms, including websites, applications and social media accounts, that were used for football betting activities and gambling promotions.

“Measures to block these websites and remove the offending content will be undertaken with the assistance of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission,” he said.

He added that investigations are ongoing under provisions of the Betting Act, the Common Gaming Houses Act, and the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act.

Earlier this month, FMT reported criminologist Nur Hafizah Yusoff of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia as saying that heavy betting on World Cup matches will continue to fuel illegal bookie syndicates, despite years of enforcement.