31 suspects arrested in Chinese-run gambling den in Bangkok
Police arrested 31 suspects during a raid on a gambling den run by Chinese nationals in the Huai Khwang area of Bangkok in the early hours of this morning.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Bureau and Suthisan Police Station raided the three-storey building in Soi Pracharat Bamphen 11 at 1am, today, February 19, following a tip-off about gambling operations. Upon arrival, officers found Thai-Chinese and Chinese gamblers playing card games in rooms on the second and third floors.
A total of 31 suspects, including gamblers and workers employed to manage the building, were arrested. Card games, gambling chips, and 10,000 baht in cash were confiscated as evidence.
Police reported that the building had only one entrance and exit. All signs in the gambling den were written in Chinese, suggesting the venue targeted Chinese nationals or Thai-Chinese people who could communicate in the language.
When questioned, one of the workers revealed that Chinese nationals rented the building to operate the gambling den. The worker claimed the venue had only been open for a week before the raid.
Police are now conducting further investigations to identify the Chinese owners of the gambling house. All 31 arrested suspects have been charged under Section 12 of the Gambling Act for gambling without permits.
The penalty is imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of up to 5,000 baht, or both.
Another gambling house raid was reported a few days earlier in the Yan Nawa district of Bangkok. In this case, Chinese nationals were reportedly operating a restaurant called the Bitcoin Club on the third floor of the Galaxy Building to conceal a gambling den.
During the raid, police arrested 12 foreign gamblers, including Chinese, Singaporean, Filipino, and Indian nationals. A Thai woman, Chatchaya Phuprasert, was arrested at the scene as the manager of the gambling den.
In 2023, this location was previously operated as a nightclub, which was raided for hosting a drug party that led to the death of a partygoer. The nightclub was subsequently closed down and was secretly transformed into a gambling house a year ago, according to the confession of the Thai manager.
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