The alleged gambling den was located in a dry paddy field in Nakhon Nayok.
Thailand.- Some 218 people have been arrested for alleged involvement in illegal gambling in a dry paddy field in the Ongkharak district of Nakhon Nayok. Police seized 560,570 baht and gambling chips worth over 2m baht (US$0.06m).
According to officers, the gambling den had been operating for nearly a year and taxis, minibuses and vans transported gamblers. Those arrested were taken to Ongkharak police station.
In January, police arrested two South Korean nationals for allegedly running online gambling sites from a residence in Udon Thani province. Police seized computers and other equipment. According to local media reports, the sites involved were Vinus Gaming Services and 100d-1. The suspects are reported to have confessed that they also managed operations for other gaming platforms, facilitated transactions for gamblers and promoted the websites in South Korea, Thailand, and other countries.
The gambling websites reportedly had a monthly turnover of KRW4bn (US$2.8m), and those arrested allegedly received monthly salaries ranging from 80,000 to 100,000 baht each for maintaining the websites and advertising in the targeted countries. They face charges for working without the necessary permits as foreign nationals.
Meanwhile, the Stop Gambling Foundation, along with a group of legal experts, anti-gambling advocates and representatives from various institutions and professional groups, aims to challenge the government’s plan to legalise casinos in entertainment complexes. They aim to collect 50,000 signatures to demand a referendum.
Thanakorn Komkris, secretary-general of the Stop Gambling Foundation, said a petition would be submitted to the Election Commission (EC), which would check the eligibility of signees. Komkris said that the cabinet would not be able to reject the petition and would have to set a date. Phumtham Wechayachai, Thailand’s deputy prime minister, has previously dismissed calls for a referendum.
