Thai police have confiscated the equivalent of more than US$12.3 million in assets and cash allegedly linked to an online gambling syndicate said to have had a network of operations across the kingdom, reported the Thai Public Broadcasting Service.
Officers are said to have conducted raids in 52 locations across 10 provinces, with more than 40 suspects detained.
A police spokesperson said what the report termed a ‘gang’ had operated three ‘automated’ gambling websites with more than 50,000 users.
In May, a number of minority political parties in Thailand submitted a draft amendment to the country’s Gambling Act, with the aim of legalising not only land-based casino business, but also online gambling.
Other political voices in Thailand that favour legalising bricks and mortar casinos but stop short of legalising online formats, have argued even that step could help curb the extent of unregulated gambling in Thailand.
In late July a parliamentary committee exploring the introduction of casino resorts in Thailand submitted a report to the National Assembly.
The document is said to recommend the government issue a decree allowing “entertainment complexes” that include legal casinos, to be set up at a number of locations across the country.
