Lotto a trouble: Woman caught betting big on Facebook
Police apprehended a young woman for posting advertisements for Lao lottery sales on Facebook, with bets reaching 30,000 baht per draw. She forwarded these bets to a major bookie, earning a 20% commission over the past six months.
Yesterday, October 2, police officials, led by Phumiphat Phattharasriwongchai, Bancha Srisuk, and Thapakorn Hanumart, executed a search warrant at a residence in Moo 5, Kradae subdistrict, Kanchanadit district, Surat Thani province. The search led to the arrest of 26 year old Rujirach along with the seizure of a mobile phone.
Police had been investigating social media platforms and came across a Facebook account advertising lottery gambling. The posts were public, accessible to anyone, and encouraged betting on Thai and Lao lotteries. The account owner, a fashionable young woman, also ran a designer dress and brand-name bag rental shop in Surat Thani.
Police surveillance revealed significant financial transactions, with amounts reaching hundreds of thousands of baht. The funds were transferred to major bookies in Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani. Continuous monitoring of the Facebook account provided sufficient evidence to obtain a search warrant for the suspect’s residence.
During the search, Rujirach admitted to using her personal Facebook account to post advertisements for lottery gambling. Each lottery draw saw customer bets totalling 30,000 baht (US$310). She forwarded these bets to another Facebook user, earning a 20% commission from the primary bookie. She had been conducting this activity for six months, motivated by the lucrative income, reported KhaoSod.
The police charged her with organising gambling or enticing others to gamble, either directly or indirectly, without proper authorisation through electronic media. She was detained along with the seized evidence and handed over to the Kanchanadit Police Station for further legal proceedings.
In related news, police recently conducted a raid on underground lottery operations in Chiang Mai and Lamphun, resulting in multiple arrests and the seizure of illegal lottery tickets and other evidence.
