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Euro 2008 gamblers pick up 8 red cards in Guangzhou

By Zheng Caixiong (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-02 07:46

GUANGZHOU - Eight people have been detained here over the past week, following a crack down on illegal gambling on soccer matches, police said on Tuesday.

On Monday, four people were arrested after police raided four underground betting dens in the residential districts of Tianhe, Haizhu, Baiyun and Yuexiu.

The locations were being used for online gambling on the Euro 2008 soccer championships in Austria and Switzerland, which ended on Sunday, police said. On Friday, police also arrested four people during raids on two gambling dens in Tianhe and Haizhu.

More than 40 officers took part in the raid, which also led to the seizure of betting slips totaling 6.58 million yuan ($960,000), police said.

An anonymous official from the Guangzhou municipal bureau of public security said: "The crackdown has dealt a heavy blow to those involved in online gambling and underground soccer betting events."

While gambling is illegal in China, Euro 2008 attracted huge interest among soccer fans in the country. Police have estimated that more than 30 million yuan was wagered via illegal betting websites over the three weeks of the competition.