The Ministry of Public Security of China said Sunday that it would crack down on online soccer gambling during the World Cup, and those caught could face severe penalties.

Police authorities at all levels would closely monitor web soccer gambling, said Guan Jian, an official of the ministry, at a news conference.

As of Saturday, nationwide police forces had cracked 740 online gambling cases, arrested more than 3,600 suspects and confiscated 700 million yuan (102 million U.S. dollars) in gambling funds.

Of the arrested, more than 180 were linked to gambling organizations in Hong Kong, Macao, Malaysia and the Philippines.