(Photo: Xinhua)

In a crackdown on soccer gambling during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, police from central China's Hunan Province caught nine suspects in their latest raid, seizing mobile phones, computers, and bank cards, local authorities said Thursday.

More than 150 soccer fans and 10 million yuan (around 1.5 million US dollars) were involved, police from Yiyang City said.

The suspects operated the gambling on software installed on mobile phones, organized gambling groups via China's social network app WeChat, and benefited from the enormous amount of cash flow.

Further investigation is underway.

Three other gambling gangs have been busted in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian Province, during the World Cup. Sixteen suspects have been caught, according to local police.

The police warned the public that any gambling activity on online platforms is illegal, and those involved will receive criminal sanctions.