Police said Monday betting slips worth more than 50 million dollars (US$6.4 million) had been seized in about 50 operations since the opening of the World Cup in Germany on June 9.

In the nearby gaming centre of Macau, police on Monday smashed a soccer gambling racket believed to be operated by a Hong Kong triad gang with bets amounting to about 10 million dollars. A Hong Kong man was arrested.

This came after Macau police raided a Hong Kong triad-run betting racket on Saturday, seizing 100 million dollars (US$12.8 million) in betting slips.

A Hong Kong man, a Macau man and five mainland Chinese men were arrested during the raid.

The World Cup finals are expected to prove a big draw for punters in Hong Kong where the government estimates 50-60 billion Hong Kong dollars worth of bets are placed with illegal bookies annually.

Legal soccer gambling was introduced in this gambling-mad southern Chinese territory in 2003 in a bid to drive underground bookmakers out of business.

But restrictions on the types of bets offered, coupled with the endemic nature of soccer betting here has meant the illicit trade continues to thrive.

Police said they have teamed up with forces in Southeast Asia and China to stamp out the problem.