Thai authorities arrest 18 Vietnamese nationals due to alleged illicit online gambling activities

Eighteen Vietnamese nationals have been placed under arrest by authorities in Bangkok, Thailand, after a search of a lavish home suspected of housing illicit online gambling enterprises.

The chief of the local Immigration Bureau (IB), Pol Lt Gen Ittiphol Itthisarnronchai, said that immigration agents stormed Bangkok’s Rama IX neighborhood, believing it to be a hotspot for foreigners playing online poker.

Ten men and eight women were found on the property during the search, and they are all now being prosecuted for running online gambling businesses and encouraging others to bet.

Investigators found 35 items during the investigation, including computers and other devices that were used to support online gambling.

Following a report about several foreigners behaving strangely on the property, the IB opened an inquiry. Their suspicions were confirmed by further surveillance, which revealed the occupants to be Vietnamese nationals who were engaged in internet gambling. With the approval of the Phra Khanong Criminal Court, a search of the two-story property was conducted.

Upon investigation, it was discovered that the house had been converted into a functioning hub for online gambling, replete with living rooms and workstations for those involved. The eighteen Vietnamese nationals were seen on security camera footage alternating between computers connected to gambling websites.

The accused acknowledged during interrogation that they ran functional online gambling sites. They said that the scheme’s mastermind was a fellow Vietnamese national, and each participant received a salary of THB20,000 ($560) each month in addition to commissions that increased based on how many bets they were able to collect from gamblers.

It was discovered that the space had been hired since November of the prior year, solely for the purpose of serving as a hub for online gambling operations. After then, all prisoners were handed over to Hua Mak police station staff, who started the legal process.

Original story by: Asia Gaming Brief