By David Willis in Singapore
Police have broken up a string of betting syndicates in the Far East which were taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal bets on World Cup football matches.
More than forty people were arrested during midnight raids in a co-ordinated operation in Singapore and Hong Kong.
One of the syndicates was operating from a suite at a five star hotel in Singapore.
Hong Kong police confiscated more than $400,000 (£250,000) which had been placed on the outcome of the Scotland-Brazil match within the space of just three hours.
They also arrested some footballers who are alleged to have been bribed by the syndicates to fix the results of preliminary World Cup matches played by the Hong Kong team.
Strict rules on gambling
Apart from the lottery and horse racing, gambling is banned in most parts of south-east Asia.
But despite this, illegal betting is rife, and the syndicates have been blamed for widespread match fixing of local games.
In recent months there has been speculation that they have attempted to widen their influence, targeting the European leagues and tournaments such as the World Cup.
