Jes, who headed a taskforce charged with cracking down on gambling during the tournament, told a press conference yesterday that city police handled 703 cases of football gambling, netting 770 suspects - 132 bookies and 638 punters - during the tournament. Police seized about Bt570,000 in cash and gambling tickets worth Bt216 million, he added.

Police conducted 5,965 sweeps of businesses to check for gambling on the premises, 2,964 targeted searches based on tips, and 8,124 individual anti-gambling initiatives such as talking to people about the dangers of betting on sports, Jes said.

Metropolitan Police Area 4, whose jurisdiction covers Hua Mark, Chokechai, Wang Thong Lang, Lat Phrao, Bang Chan, Prawet, Bueng Kum and Udomsuk police stations, had the most success in its crackdown with 33 bookies nabbed. Gambling was especially heavy in the Hua Mark, Chokechai and Wang Thong Lang neighbourhoods, which are home to many educational institutes, student dormitories and apartments.