13 online gambling houses raided, 1 billion baht assets seized

Cyber police raided 13 online gambling houses in Bangkok and Chiang Rai and seized money and assets worth over 1 billion baht including cash, luxury cars, watches, designer bags, and plots of land.

Police reported details of the arrests at a press conference yesterday, December 13. The ball started rolling on smashing the illegal operation when the officers spotted a gambling website, www.scg9.club, inviting Thai people to join an online football betting platform. The website also offered online slot machines, various card games, and sports betting.

The website promoted its gambling services on social media and through its website which attracted a huge number of members. The site also allowed members to transfer and receive money through Thai online banking without the worry of being reported.

Police found over 3 billion baht circulating in the illegal business.

Officers tracked the bank accounts of three people, two Thai men named Kittikorn, and Roong-arun, and a Thai woman named Thongthai on December 9.

The investigation led to 13 gambling locations including five rooms at a condominium on Ratchadapisek Road in Bangkok, three houses in Soi Charan Sanit Wong 68 in Bangkok, one condo in Soi Phetchakasem 48 in Bangkok, three houses in Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai, and one condo in the Mueng district of Chiang Rai.

The officers seized cash worth 2.89 million baht, more than 160 bank accounts, 30 plots of land, 45 luxury watches, 49 designer bags, six cars (Porsche Carrera, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Mini Cooper, Toyota Wish, and Toyota Camry), 59 Bearbrick figurines, laptops, jewellery, mobile phones, tablets, and ketamine.

Two more suspects were arrested during the raid including a 43 year old man named Auttasate who owned the five rooms at the condominium on Ratchadapisek Road and another man named Boonprasit who stayed at the condominium in Soi Phetchakasem 48.

Auttasate was arrested for illegally possessing a drug category 2 (ketamine), which results in a punishment of imprisonment from one to five years, a fine of 20,000 to 100,000 baht, or both. Boonprasit was charged with Section 12(5) of the Gambling Act: whoever arranges betting or invites others to join gambling both directly and indirectly shall be punished with imprisonment from three months to three years and a fine of 500 to 5,000 baht.