Even in Malaysia, Euro 2012 Football Championships bring lots of betting.

Since in Malaysia only horse racing is allowed when it comes to sports betting, the punters visit underground dens to make their wagers.

Football, despite the lack of Malaysian success in it, is a quite popular discipline in the country. English Premier League matches attract a large portion of bettors’ money. When major events arrive, the wagering grows in numbers.

The Malaysian police, however, doesn’t tolerate it, especially given the religious sentiments in this largely Muslim country. During 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the law enforcement has raided nearly 300 illegal betting dens in Malaysia. Well over 200 people were arrested.

Currently, the European Football Championships are taking place in Poland and Ukraine. Although, not a single team there playing is from Asia, the Malaysian football punters nevertheless started wagering their stakes. The police is going as far as to work with Interpol in fighting the illicit football betting as the Euro 2012 news announce.

Already a couple of operators, aged 26 and 75, have been arrested for accepting bets on Euro 2012 matches. Cash, betting slips, and laptops were seized in the raid.

The fact remains intact: Malaysians want to bet on football and only legalizing sports betting in Malaysia will bring this large market into the open where it can be regulated and taxed. But, this is not likely to happen given the strong opposition of Imams worried that such bets may corrupt the Muslim youths.