The police intensified a crackdown on illegal gambling on World Cup football, detaining more than 100 suspected bookies and busting a hi-tech illegal betting centre, police said today.

In Kuala Lumpur, police hauled in 86 suspects, including 11 foreigners, for handling bets worth RM12.5 million from as far afield as China and Hong Kong, a spokesman told AFP .

In Johor, 17 people were arrested Friday for operating a gambling den believed to be taking in up to RM10 million in bets daily from around the country and neighbouring Singapore.

The police spokesman said more arrests were imminent in view of information received from the detained suspects.

"We are going to step up our operations to stop these bookies, and we are certain our investigations will bring in more leads," he said.

"Then we will surely make more arrests."

One billion ringgit mark

He said that bets "easily exceeding RM1 billion" were expected during the the World Cup season, with wagers getting higher as the tournament drew closer to the finals.

All gambling on football is illegal in Malaysia.

In January, police detained seven men, including two Britons and three from Hong Kong, suspected of taking about RM4.8 million in football bets.