Asian police forces are gearing up for the expected surge in illegal sports betting on the upcoming Euro 2016 football tournament.

This week, authorities in China’s Guangdong province announced that they had recorded 1,573 criminal occurrences regarding illegal betting operations in the period spanning Jan. 1 to May 15, leading to the arrests of some 2,400 individuals.

The vice-director of the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department said his group expects this type of activity to surge during Euro 2016 and is actively coordinating with his counterparts in other regions to ensure their dragnet scoops up as much illegal activity as possible.

Similar preparations are underway across Asia as punters continue to defy outright betting bans and turn up their noses at the poor offerings available to them via state-run sports lottery operations.