Busted in Pattaya: Thai police call time on Indian gambling ring

The Thai police arrested 21 Indian nationals at a rented house in Pattaya after discovering they were operating gambling websites with over 200 million Indian rupees (87 million baht), in circulation.

More than 50 officers from Muaeng Pattaya Police Station, Nongprue Police Station, and the Transnational Crime Suppression Division raided the rented house in the Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri after determining it was being used as a base for the gambling website operation.

Channel 7 reported that the two-storey house was surrounded by a tall fence. An Indian man opened the house for the police, leading officers to find more than 10 Indian nationals working in front of computers in the main hall.

They were the administrators of websites offering various types of gambling, such as baccarat, poker, online slot machines, and sports betting.

Officers investigating the second floor found more Indian nationals resting and sleeping. Some 21 Indian suspects were arrested at the scene. Several of the team were on tourist visas while others were on student visas.

Officers seized equipment used to operate the gambling websites, including four computers, eight laptops, 50 mobile phones, and SIM cards from both Thai and foreign service providers.

On the walls of the residence, officers discovered signs outlining staff rules, bank accounts for gamblers to transfer money, financial transactions, and the amount of gambling credit circulating on the websites, which was worth over 200 million Indian rupees (87 million baht).

One of the Indian suspects informed officers that they had been renting the house for 30,000 baht per month since August of the previous year. While the main server was located in another country, they primarily managed seven websites in Thailand.

Most of the gamblers on these sites were Indian nationals, with some from Dubai. The operation ran 24 hours a day, with workers taking eight-hour shifts.

Officer Chatchai Surachatephong, from the Transnational Crime Suppression Division, reported that officers believed a leading Indian member was still hiding in Pattaya or Chon Buri province. Officers would conduct further investigations to apprehend the person.