Lausanne, 30 June 2026 — Monitoring provided by United Lotteries for Integrity in Sports (ULIS) has led to the arrests of 19 people in Hong Kong, China in connection with a suspected match-fixing and illegal betting operation in the sport of football.
A joint operation by Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and the Hong Kong Police Force resulted in the arrests, which included two coaches and seven players, on Tuesday 23 June.
Codenamed “Double-edged,” the operation targeted individuals across multiple tiers: one coach and six players from three First Division clubs, a coach from a Hong Kong Premier League U-22 club, and one former First Division player.
According to police, the suspected syndicate set up accounts across several illegal gambling websites and distributed them to acquaintances, some within the local football community. The bets are said to have covered both overseas and local matches, with a number of local matches allegedly being manipulated. Investigators believe the operation may have been active for two to three years, with the total value of bets collected estimated to exceed HK$6 million.
The investigations leading to the arrests drew heavily on monitoring and alerts provided by ULIS through its collaboration with the Football Association of Hong Kong, China, (HKFA), which actively assisted the ICAC. The ICAC investigation identified irregularities in at least four First Division matches and one U-22 match.
ULIS and the HKFA began a close collaboration in 2024 and early last year the HKFA joined the ULIS network.
In an official statement, the HKFA reaffirmed its zero-tolerance position on match fixing and illegal gambling, and committed to cooperating fully with the investigations. The HKFA said it would not comment further while the case is ongoing, but stressed its commitment to strengthening its own monitoring efforts, supported by ULIS expertise in detecting and analyzing unusual betting patterns.
For ULIS President Jean-Luc Moner-Banet, the outcome is a sign that authorities are treating match fixing and illegal betting with the seriousness they demand. “This result reflects what close cooperation can achieve,” he said. “Our global monitoring teams across three continental hubs work every day to detect suspicious betting activities and to support those responsible for protecting sport. We are grateful to the HKFA for its trust, and we remain committed to standing alongside every partner that works to safeguard the integrity of sport competitions.”
About ULIS
United Lotteries for Integrity in Sports (ULIS) is a non-profit international association dedicated to protecting the integrity of sport through monitoring and detection, education, prevention, and cooperation among lotteries, sports bodies, regulators, and law-enforcement authorities. ULIS monitoring hubs are located on three different continents in Denmark, Hong Kong, and Canada, enabling round-the-clock monitoring of sports betting patterns around the world. Find out more at www.ulis.org
