High-stakes family feud: Thai woman’s tip leads to gambling grandmother

A Thai woman, angry at her grandmother for losing 70,000 baht gambling, reported the matter to the police, leading to her arrest and five other high rollers at a gambling den in the Isaan province of Maha Sarakham.

The furious granddaughter went to the local district office to report the gambling den in her community. More than 10 gamblers gathered there almost every day, including her grandmother. The woman said her grandmother had lost more than 70,000 baht gambling and had ignored her warnings.

She added that the high rollers gambled openly with no regard for the law and caused noise pollution to residents in the area.

District authorities, along with officers from Chun Chom Police Station, raided the gambling den yesterday, October 25. Officers found more than 10 gamblers at the site but only managed to arrest six of them.

According to police, all the gamblers were old members of the community, aged nearly 70 years old. Evidence seized during the operation included 240 baht in cash, three dice and other gambling equipment.

District Chief, Ingon Prechan, paid tribute to the woman who alerted the authorities. Igon revealed that each gambler will be charged with participating in illegal gambling. The penalty is up to three years imprisonment, a fine of up to 2,000 baht or both under Section 12 of the Gambling Act.

The location of the gambling den was a small shelter with no registration number or exact owner, so no gamblers faced a harsher punishment for running a gambling house and inviting people to gamble.

Another raid took place on October 24 at a gambling den hidden in a Chon Buri province forest. Police arrested 29 gamblers at the scene, including a police officer. Officers are now conducting further investigations into the case to arrest a man known as Sia Mong, who owned the gambling den.

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