Malaysia arrests 331 as part of FIFA World Cup betting crackdown

Malaysian authorities announced on Monday that 331 people have been arrested in a nationwide operation targeting illegal sports betting and online gambling activities linked to the FIFA World Cup 2026.



About 145,000 ringgit (35,000 U.S. dollars) in cash had been seized and betting transactions worth more than 2.6 million ringgit (640,000 U.S. dollars) had been uncovered, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director M. Kumar S. Muthuvelu said in a statement.



The operation, which began on June 11 and will continue until July 19, has seen 293 raids conducted nationwide and is being carried out in collaboration with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), particularly in monitoring gambling-related advertisements and promotional activities on websites and social media platforms, he said.



He added that authorities had identified 185 websites, online platforms, applications and social media accounts being used for football betting and gambling promotions.