Thailand’s Lake Pine Resort Becomes Front For Illegal Gambling Operation
Thailand might be considering the legalization of casinos. As it does, it still has to contend with illegal operations, like one police recently uncovered at Lake Pine Resort.
Police from Nakhon Ratchasima, a province in the northeastern part of the country, arrested 18 individuals. They were running two gambling websites out of the resort, according to the Bangkok Post.
The illegal websites received at least THB20 million (US$584,600) per month in bets, and had approximately THB900m of cash in circulation (US$26.3 million). The criminals were reportedly operating in Cambodia for four years, but moved to Thailand last year.
Social Media Leads to Fall
The suspects used all 10 rooms at Lake Pine for both gambling websites. Police Colonel Wiwat Jithophakul of the Crime Suppression Division said that officers confiscated 30 mobile phones, 10 desktop computers, and five notebooks. They also seized 12 bank account registers.
Wiwat stated that the raid was prompted by complaints about a YouTuber named “Jah Rok.” He apparently encouraged people to place online bets. From there, police only had to follow the trails.