Rolling the dice: Thai sting nabs duo in high-stakes gambling bust

The Thai authorities apprehended a 34 year old man and a 19 year old woman in a sophisticated sting operation targeting an illegal online gambling ring that reportedly saw monthly transactions averaging 50 million baht per month. Kittinan

The coordinated search led by Major General Warawut Wattanakornbancha, head of the Special Branch Police, along with his team, spanned four locations across Chon Buri and Rayong provinces, culminated in the arrest of the man, Kittinan, at a high-end condominium in the Saen Suk sub-district of Chon Buri’s Muang district.

Several luxury vehicles, an arsenal of firearms, ammunition, two mobile phones and 79,500 baht in cash were seized.

In a separate location, authorities apprehended, the teenage girl, Mutita, seizing four firearms, over 173 rounds of ammunition, four mobile phones, bankbooks, and financial transaction records.

The operation was the culmination of an extensive investigation by the Cyber Taskforce, which tracked down the illicit website app.fast168.pro. This platform facilitated illegal online gambling and actively advertised such services in violation of Thai law.

Despite Kittinan’s claims of merely being a participant in the gambling activities and not the owner of the website, the investigation by the Special Branch Police revealed his alleged involvement in running the illegal operation for over two years.

The evidence also suggested that he operated two subsidiary gambling websites for over six months. The authorities charged him with offences related to organising and promoting illegal gambling and money laundering, citing the Gambling Act of 1935 and Anti-Money Laundering regulations.

Both individuals were taken into custody and handed over to the investigative officers at the Special Branch Police Division 2 for further legal proceedings, reported Khaosod.

This case highlights ongoing efforts by Thai law enforcement to crack down on the proliferation of illegal online gambling, which often involves significant sums of money and can be linked to other criminal activities.

The successful operation sends a strong message to those engaged in such illicit enterprises that the authorities are vigilant and capable of bringing sophisticated criminal networks to justice.