EIGHT people from China, Malaysia and Hong Kong have been accused of operating an illegal gambling ring in Las Vegas that logged millions of dollars in bets on World Cup football matches.

Wei Seng Phua, 50, a suspected organised crime member, and the others were named in a criminal complaint detailing the scheme to take bets over wi-fi and DSL lines installed by casino employees in their suites at Caesars Palace.

During their court hearing, a judge granted a request for Mr Phua and his son, a co-defendant, to stay with a Las Vegas doctor and poker enthusiast until their next court date on August 4.

Mr Phua, who is said to be worth an estimated £235 million, must post $2m bail, wear a GPS monitoring device and put up his £28m private Gulfstream jet as collateral.

FBI and Nevada Gaming Control Board agents made the arrests on Sunday after raids in three Caesars Palace suites. Agents reported finding a laptop computer logging illegal wagers and other records.

US attorney Daniel Bogden said the Las Vegas operation began shortly after Mr Phua left the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau.