Thai police target operation suspected of taking World Cup bets

Police carried out raids on 13 locations in Bangkok and the northern province of Chiang Rai

Thailand.- Police have arrested five people on suspicion of money laundering and promoting an illegal gambling website. The arrests followed raids at 13 locations in Bangkok and the northern province of Chiang Rai.

National Police Chief General Damrongsak Kittiprapas said the group targeted had THB3bn in circulation, increased by bets on the World Cup in Qatar. Police seized cash, vehicles and assets worth more than THB1bn.

The deputy chief of the national police, General Torsak Sukvimol, who oversees the police’s anti-gambling task force, told The Nation Thailand that in addition to betting on World Cup matches, the website offered slots, card games and fishing games.

Sukvimol said 10,644 people have been arrested on gambling charges since the task force was established in November to tackle betting on World Cup matches. He said 90 operators and over 9,000 customers have been caught.

In November, the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) targeted a network that was allegedly operating around 500 illegal betting websites. The operation followed a series of raids against the Fat Fast online gambling network in September, which resulted in 40 arrests. 

In Thailand, gambling is illegal, with the exception of government lottery and horse racing. However, the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce estimated that Thais will bet around THB57.2bn (US$1.6bn) on the World Cup.

This year, Thai authorities began to analyse the possibility of legalising land-based and online casinos. In July, a committee recommended the government issue a decree allowing casinos in key cities. However, so far, there has been no progress on the proposal.