Authorities in Turkey launched a major nationwide anti-gambling crackdown over the weekend in a likely preemptive strike on illegal World Cup wagering.

On Sunday, the Daily Sabah reported that over 8k police officers had mounted simultaneous raids on “thousands” of suspected illegal gambling venues across 81 provinces. The raids resulted in the closure of 36 coffee houses and other businesses deemed to offering illegal gambling to their customers.

The report claimed that 80 people had been detained for running the illegal gambling operations, while an additional 159 individuals were nabbed on outstanding illegal gambling charges. Fines have been issued against the operators of the 36 gambling venues and prison sentences are likely.

The action followed raids on 64 venues in Turkey’s capital Ankara on Wednesday that resulted in the arrests of 39 suspects, including a municipal-level police chief. The operation, which involved 300 police officers, targeted a criminal group involved in everything from illegal gambling to drug trafficking and loan sharking.