Police bust major illegal gambling site admins in Thailand
Police busted three admins and two mule account holders linked to major online gambling sites in Thailand.
Officers on Thursday raided a home in Khon Kaen, where the operators allegedly ran the 'Big Win Auto' gambling website.
They arrested Narin Supirat, 36, who was identified as the beneficiary and administrator.
A computer, five mobile phones, 35 bank passbooks and 41 ATM cards were seized as evidence.
Subsequent raids in the same province led to the arrest of two more web admins, Jirawat Kruaysawat, 25, and Saowanee Kaewbubpha, 28, along with two mule account holders, Sirilak Phananon, 21, and Jiraporn Jaidee, 35.
The suspects were reportedly charged with 'organising, instigating, assisting in advertising, or directly or indirectly persuading others to participate in or bet on unauthorised electronic gambling without official permission'.
The Cyber Crime Investigation Division 5 launched the crackdown after discovering the illegal website's operation online.
Police said the platform had been operating for more than a year, with more than 10,000 members and an average monthly circulation exceeding 10 million baht, or more than 120 million baht annually.
It offered online gambling services, including foreign football betting, lotteries, slots, baccarat, dragon tiger, hi-lo, pok deng and various other forms of gambling.
The site featured an automated bank transfer system for processing deposits and allowed users to request withdrawals directly through the website.
It also employed website administrators to assist users and act on behalf of the platform, handling tasks such as registration issues, financial transactions and providing guidance to entice users into online gambling.
Investigators found that the gambling network was secretly operating in the Mueang Khon Kaen district.
They gathered evidence to request arrest warrants from the Criminal Court for eight individuals allegedly involved in the network, along with search warrants.
Police Major General Sila Kancharak, commander of the Cyber Crime Investigation Division 5, said: 'All suspects admitted to the charges, while the remaining three suspects are currently being tracked down.'
Most forms of gambling are illegal in Thailand, with only a few exceptions such as the state lottery and state-approved horse racing.
Online gambling is also illegal, and Thai police regularly block gambling websites and prosecute operators and players.
The government has previously discussed legalising casinos but gambling remains largely illegal.
