Teacher accused of running illegal betting shop

A SECONDARY school teacher has been arrested on suspicion of running an illegal betting shop.

The 44-year-old man, who has not been named, apparently only held a horse racing licence, but police discovered a number of partly completed football pools coupons that had not gone through an approved machine at his Nicosia shop.

Police acted after receiving an anonymous tip-off about the man. Apparently, some of his underage students had been spotted hanging around the shop and were spending their pocket money there.

One student in particular, who is believed to have placed several bets there, is being sought by officers.

After staking out the premises for several days, police obtained a court order to search the shop. They took away with them as evidence 14 televisions, four computers, two telephone systems and numerous betting slips. Fifteen people were in the shop at the time of the raid, with officers taking down their personal details.

A spokesman at the Ministry of Education yesterday told the Cyprus Mail that they were aware of the case and had launched an investigation. “Until we learn more details though, we are unable to comment,” he said.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.