Rolling the dice: Pattaya homes raided in Chinese gambling bust

Police raided three luxury houses in Pattaya and arrested 20 Chinese nationals for operating a gambling website and illegal loan service.

Officers from Mueang Pattaya Police Station discovered a group of Chinese nationals running illegal businesses based in Thailand. They were found to be offering loans illegally to clients in China. The gang rented three luxury houses to carry out their criminal activities, paying 50,000 baht per month for each accommodation.

The police closely monitored their activities and noticed that none of the Chinese nationals living in the houses ever left the premises. They ordered food and products via delivery platforms or asked their employer, the leader of the gang, to purchase items for them.

The police spent over two months monitoring the gang’s activities and gathering evidence to issue arrest warrants.

Yesterday, on October 3, officers raided the houses and arrested the suspects. They also seized equipment used in the crimes, including 30 computers, 100 mobile phones, SIM cards, and client lists.

Unfortunately, the police were unable to access the financial transactions on the gambling and illegal loan websites, as the suspects unplugged all the computers. Moreover, the gang leader managed to escape from the scene.

In a related case, three Chinese men were apprehended in August for using Chon Buri province as a base for operating online gambling and call centre scams. Officers discovered 5.5 billion baht in circulation, and one of the suspects was found to have overstayed his visa.

In a separate incident, three other Chinese men were arrested at a condominium in Bangkok in July for running a call centre scam using SIM boxes.

Another Chinese national, along with her Thai husband, who owns a boxing gym in Phuket, was found to be involved in a scam. They allegedly deceived a Czech-Chinese couple by tricking them into paying for boxing training as part of a one-year visa arrangement.

The couple paid 180,000 baht for the visa renewal and boxing course, but their visas were not renewed as expected, and they were subsequently arrested for overstaying.