It was the latest high-profile effort to clamp down on illegal sports betting in Asia, which has seen hundreds of people arrested and millions of dollars confiscated, notably in mainland China, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
Football, and particularly the English Premier League, is hugely popular in Malaysia. But sports betting is illegal and those found guilty can be jailed.
Five of those arrested on Thursday were Malaysians, while the rest were from China and Taiwan, the police chief told AFP. The group arranged betting on the Premier League and other forms of online gambling, he said.
The ring also carried out Internet scams that sought to obtain the credit card numbers of victims in China, Taiwan and Portugal by sending email notices claiming the recipients had debts they needed to pay immediately.
Police did not say how much money the group had earned from the illegal schemes but Abdul Rashid said the ring appeared to be relatively sophisticated because the five bungalows raided by police were equipped with closed-circuit televisions systems for security.
"For sure we will demand harsh punishments," Abdul Rashid said, adding that the charges could lead to jail terms of up to 20 years and caning.
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