High-stakes takedown: DSI nabs UFA’s online gambling kingpin in Thailand

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) arrested gambling kingpin Pakapoom, a top executive of one of the three largest online gambling networks in Thailand, UFA. At just 29 years old, Pakapoom managed over 80 accounts, circulating more than 10 billion baht. The arrest was announced yesterday by Suraya Singhamon, the DSI Director.

Pakapoom, also known as Diddy, was found to be in control of more than 80 accounts. Fifty of these were in the names of foreign workers employed by small factories. These accounts were not used for salary payments but for online betting.

An additional 30 accounts were registered to Thai nationals. Each account circulated billions of baht. Pakapoom lived a modest lifestyle, without luxury cars or ostentatious displays of wealth. He regularly travelled abroad and was close to a significant owner of one of the largest online gambling networks in the country.

Pakapoom’s role was to manage the income from the betting website’s agents, who were involved in a secondary layer of marketing. This required payment for operations to the primary online gambling network known as UFA. This action constituted an offence under money laundering legislation. An arrest warrant was issued on October 28 for joint money laundering.

Special Investigation officers from the Narcotics Division gathered evidence and witnesses and found financial links from the horse accounts to Pakapoom. Some accounts circulated more than 1 billion baht.

Pakapoom received a license from a major international casino network to open an online gambling network in Thailand. He managed the income from the betting website’s agents who were involved in a secondary layer of marketing. This involved paying 3% of the total income of all 83 networks back to the UFA gambling website that Pakapoom managed.

Suspect arrested

Pakapoom was arrested at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok upon returning from Hong Kong on November 4 around 11pm. Initially, the suspect denied the charges but was detained based on financial and electronic evidence. Charges were filed for arranging online gambling and offences under the Money Laundering Act.

The suspect was taken to the criminal court and bail was denied. All 83 accounts have been seized and Pakapoom’s assets will be investigated, reported KhaoSod.

The DSI will further examine the owners of the small factories in Bangkok and the surrounding provinces whose foreign workers’ accounts were used by the UFA network. The DSI revealed that no previous agency had identified Pakapoom as the head of the UFA, one of Thailand’s top three online betting organizations.

The DSI began investigating from an account belonging to Ms Chaba, who had previously been involved in a drug trafficking network. In the three years from 2563-2566, Ms Chaba’s account circulated several billion baht for the UFA network.

This large organization has multiple agents, including the Boss Taa network, which was previously part of the UFA. It is also linked to an online gambling network case involving high-ranking police officers, which is currently under investigation.

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