Google Maps location leads police to online gambling network suspect
Police in Chiang Rai arrested a 30 year old Thai man on Sunday, November 24, after tracing a suspicious Google Maps pin labelled “the office of the leading gambling website in Thailand.”
Officers from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau conducted a thorough investigation into an online gambling network known as gsa9game, which reportedly had more than 20,000 members. Most users were found to be young children and teenagers.
Financial transactions showed the network had over 10 million baht in monthly circulation, amounting to more than 120 million baht each year.
Investigators discovered that the network was operated from Chiang Rai province near Thailand’s border with a neighbouring country.
Further investigations resulted in 22 arrest warrants being issued. Police initially arrested nine suspects, including site administrators, finance staff, an online advertising manager, and individuals who held bank accounts linked to the operation.
Search efforts continued for the remaining 13 wanted suspects, while officers also investigated others who may have benefited from the scheme.
The investigation eventually led officers to the network’s owner, a 30 year old Thai man named Kasidit. He was found staying at an accommodation listed on Google Maps as “the office of the leading gambling website in Thailand”.
Police raided the address on 24 November and arrested Kasidit at the residence. Officers seized assets believed to be linked to the criminal operation, including a white Honda Accord, 11 mobile phones, a computer, approximately 315,000 baht in gold bars, about 320,000 baht in gold accessories, designer items, and six bank books.
During questioning, Kasidit reportedly said he entered the illegal gambling industry around six to seven years ago. He claimed to have crossed the border illegally to work for a gambling platform based in a neighbouring country.
He then saved his income until he could launch his own sites. He said he had seven websites in operation at the time of his arrest.
Many Thai netizens expressed scepticism online, suggesting that Kasidit was merely a scapegoat. Commenters speculated that a more influential figure, possibly a foreign national, was behind the large-scale gambling operation.
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