Thai gambling queen arrested for 76 million baht tax evasion

Police arrested a Thai gambling queen in the southern province of Yala for tax evasion, causing the government to lose more than 76 million baht in revenue.

Revenue Department (RD) officers recently filed a complaint against 67 year old Sirima with officers from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD). The RD reported that Sirima secretly ran a gambling operation and other illegal businesses in Yala and never paid taxes.

The RD revealed that Sirima had never filed an income report with the department, despite earning a substantial amount from her businesses. Based on RD estimates, Sirima’s tax evasion resulted in a revenue loss exceeding 76 million baht.

The RD complaint led to the arrest of Sirima at a car park on Pahonyothin Road in the Chatuchak district of Bangkok on March 26.

The gambling queen denied the allegation, prompting officers to question her at the ECD office. Officers initially charged Sirima with providing false information to the authorities to avoid tax payments. The penalty is imprisonment from three months to seven years and a fine from 2,000 to 200,000 baht.

The report by officers did not mention Sirima’s involvement in illegal businesses, nor did it clarify whether she would face charges for operating a gambling house.

Various government departments and the private sector are collaborating to legalise casino operations in Thailand, arguing that it would generate substantial revenue for the government.

Despite years of consideration and study, the topic remains controversial with no significant developments thus far.

Last week, Winit Wisatesuvarnaphum, the deputy director of the RD, informed the media that more people had reported their revenue and paid taxes compared to the previous year.

However, the department discovered that a number of scammers submitted fake documents to the authorities to obtain tax refunds. Authorities had to work harder to review the documents, causing delays in the refund process this year.

Last month, numerous Thai netizens voiced concerns upon discovering an unexpected influx of income within the system, despite never having earned such an amount previously. Subsequently, the RD came forward to clarify that it was a system error and encouraged those encountering the issue to promptly report it to the department.