Board game gamblers swept up by Phuket Police, Navy

PHUKET: Navy personnel and Phuket City Police officers netted 37 gamblers in two separate raids last night.

The officers rushed a makeshift casino in a meeting room on the second floor of the Town Inn Hotel, and discovered 27 gamblers, gambling paraphernalia and 66,660 baht in cash.

“We received a tip-off about the meeting room being used as a gambling den, so we moved in and made the arrests,” said Commander Pornprom Sakultem of the Navy’s Third Naval Area Command.

Gamblers were playing the popular “shrimp-fish-giant water bug-flower” board game when officers arrived.

Also last night, Phuket City Police also arrested 10 gamblers in Koh Kaew, who were caught betting on “shrimp-fish-giant water bug-flower” as well.

All suspects were charged with gambling and transferred to the Phuket City Police Station.

— Kritsada Mueanhawong