Thai media reported that on the evening of February 18th, the chief of Makkasan Police Station in Bangkok, Ulangpong, led a team of investigators to raid an illegal online gambling den operated by a Chinese gang at a hotel in the Bang Kapi, Rama 9 area.
The police seized 20 computers, 12 mobile phones, cigarettes, and many untaxed imported goods, and arrested a total of 16 Chinese nationals.
Ulangpong stated that the operation was initiated following instructions from the National Police Commissioner General Jidira to conduct targeted inspections and clean-ups of foreigners. The police station then promoted this initiative in hotels and apartments within their jurisdiction until they received a tip-off that several Chinese nationals had been staying at the aforementioned hotel since August 2024.
The group rented a total of 10 rooms and brought a large number of computers and other equipment into these rooms. Some rooms were completely closed off, not allowing staff to clean, while others had doors wide open to facilitate movement between them. In addition to computer equipment, there were also dozens of mobile phones in the rooms. Therefore, the police gathered relevant information and clues for investigation, and preliminarily confirmed the possibility of illegal activities, thus applying for a search warrant to carry out the raid.
Thai media stated that despite this, all individuals denied any wrongdoing during the interrogation, claiming they were just tourists playing games in their rooms. However, the evidence obtained by the police revealed that the content on their game servers had characteristics of gambling profits, with most players being Chinese and betting in RMB. The main method of recharge was through transfers via digital wallet applications, with the accounts handling up to 2 million RMB, approximately 9 million Thai Baht.
Currently, the police have charged the arrested individuals with inviting others to gamble, foreigners engaging in illegal activities in Thailand, and evading taxes on imported goods. Legal proceedings will follow.
