Nine foreigners busted in Phuket luxury villa poker raid
Police in Phuket arrested nine foreign nationals at a luxury villa in Rawai on February 11 after uncovering an illegal poker operation promoted through Instagram that required players to pay 20,000 baht per session.
Officers had received information that a group of foreigners were advertising poker games via an Instagram account named Poker Level. The promotional messages, written in Russian, invited players to join games in Rawai, Mueang Phuket district.
According to police, those interested were required to register through a link on Instagram, which redirected them to WhatsApp for further arrangements. Participation was reportedly limited to foreign nationals.
Payments were accepted in cryptocurrency and Thai baht, with an entry fee of 20,000 baht per session. The games were allegedly held inside a luxury villa in Rawai.
On the evening of February 11, Chalong police investigators gathered further information and learned that a poker session was due to take place.
Officers positioned themselves around the villa and, due to the bright lighting inside, were able to clearly see people gathered around a gambling table.
After confirming that gambling was taking place, police moved in and made arrests.
Nine suspects were detained, including seven Russian nationals, one Ukrainian and one Kazakh national. Officers seized cash, a gambling table, playing cards and betting chips as evidence.
Police also confiscated digital devices, including mobile phones and computers, for further examination to expand the investigation.
All nine suspects were taken to Chalong Police Station for legal proceedings. They face charges of organising gambling activities without permission and jointly participating in unauthorised gambling involving poker.
Elsewhere in Thailand, Immigration Bureau officers raided an illegal gambling den at a luxury housing estate in Chon Buri, arresting 10 suspects, including one Thai national and nine foreigners. The raid followed information obtained from a Chinese man who had previously been arrested for illegally selling laughing gas.
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