Thailand: 18 arrested for illegal gambling
Police in Nakhon Ratchasima have arrested 18 people allegedly linked to an online gambling hub that was operating from 10 rooms of the Lake Pine resort.
Thailand.- Police continue to crack down on illegal operations while political discussions continue over the potential legalisation of gambling in Thailand. Officers from the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima have arrested 18 people who were allegedly running two gambling websites from a resort.
According to Bangkok Post, the two illegal websites drew at least THB20m in bets per month and had about THB900m in circulation. They had been operating for four years in Cambodia but last year moved to Thailand.
During the raid, police seized 30 mobile phones, 12 bank account books, 10 desktop computers and five notebook computers.
Thailand is one of the only three members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that are yet to legalise casinos. It is the home of some 70 million people and is the 20th most populated country in the world.
Korn Chatikavanij, leader of the Kla Party has said that he hopes Thailand will move ahead with gambling reform to boost the economy and fight illegal gambling.
Kovit Puangngam, a party list-MP of the Thai Local Power Party, added legalising online casinos would let authorities collect taxes from licencee holders and decide how to punish illegal casino operators. He said Thailand could earn THB 1.5 trillion in revenue from tax collection and application fees from online casinos.
