Police on Sunday cracked a betting ring in Kampot City after a raid on an Internet shop suspected of housing an illegal bookmaker taking bets on World Cup football games, an official said.
“Police arrested five people, who are being held at the central criminal office, and confiscated 10 computers,” said Mao Chan Makthurith, Kampot City deputy police chief.
He named the men as Nhet Chantha, 22, a bookmaker; Sim Sreynech, 23, the shop supervisor; and three gamblers: Chuon Sophat, 40; Sim Thy, 28; and Tann Try, 20.
Prior to the World Cup, the government promised a crackdown on illegal gambling rings.
But despite a few busts, policing has been slight. Brigadier General Kheng Tito, spokesman for the National Military Police, suggested last month that police complicity in gambling was making enforcement difficult. Mr. Makthurith said that in Kampot, bookmakers had the edge on police.
“Normally, they seem to find out before we launch the raids. But this time, the provincial deputy prosecutor worked on the investigation and [the bookmakers] don’t know him,” he said. “They seem to get smarter and smarter and find new ways to operate.”
