South Asian Business news and information

In Europe and America, betting is an integral part of every major sport. People love to bet on the outcome of any sporting event. Well, that is not the case in Asia. In many countries in Asia, betting in sports is banned. Now, AFC Asian Cup 2007 is coming and people of East Asian countries will become crazy about this event. So, betting will be a big issue in the countries of South East Asia and East Asia. The police forces in these countries are very active to prevent gambling.

Daily Times reported:

Chinese police set up a special squad last year to combat illegal gambling on football with the national Super League unable to shake allegations of corruption in the shape of “black whistles,” or bribed referees. Like China, football-mad Thailand is a nation of keen gamblers, even though betting is illegal. So much money changes hands that one economic research centre estimated that Thais bet nearly $1 billion on the 2006 World Cup. Police take it seriously, arresting more than 750 people for illegal gambling during the four-week tournament last year. The Asian Cup, co-hosted by Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, is expected to attract such business but nowhere near the scale of the World Cup, said Thai police chiefs.

Betting is a serious problem in Asian countries because many people become poor and many families get ruined by it. Gambling is a social problem in many Asian countries. Remember that most people in Asia are not rich and they do not have social security. So, if they lose too much in gambling then many families have to end up in street. I wish that star footballers start a campaign against betting in Asia.