Going by statistics provided by officials from the Social Service Branch (SSB), the city is fast becoming a gambling hub for punters.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2015/oct/Gambling.jpg" alt="" /> Representation pic/Thinkstock
In the last two weeks &mdash; September 14 to 27 &mdash; the SSB booked 249 people under the Bombay Prevention of Gambling Act and collectively seized over Rs 18 lakh in various raids.
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Some of the officials claimed this was a record amount of money confiscated in a span of two weeks. Since January, the SSB has booked 2,257 people and seized Rs 99 lakh.
A police officer said, &ldquo;The bets are so high, they run into lakhs. While some gamble for fun, others do it to make quick money. The numbers were high in September because of the festive season. Ganeshotsav and Eid came back-to-back, giving people a long holiday.&rdquo;
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Enforcement) Pravin Patil said, &ldquo;People lose fortunes while gambling. Families get destroyed. These days, you find kids involved in such rackets, which is even worse.&rdquo;
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Commenting on the raids, Patil said they were conducted after the branch received applications or complaints from people, or tip-offs.
Another police officer said, &ldquo;Five-star hotels have become the newest gambling dens. South Mumbai and the western suburbs are where most of the activity occurs.&rdquo;

Going by statistics provided by officials from the Social Service Branch (SSB), the city is fast becoming a gambling hub for punters. Some officials claim this was a record amount to be seized in a fortnight

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Going by statistics provided by officials from the Social Service Branch (SSB), the city is fast becoming a gambling hub for punters. Some officials claim this was a record amount to be seized in a fortnight

Gambling in Mumbai: Cops seize Rs 18 lakh in just two weeks

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Gambling in Mumbai: Cops seize Rs 18 lakh in just two weeks

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