Thai police crackdown on World Cup gambling

According to The Nation, Thai Police kicked off a crackdown on World Cup gambling at the beginning of May with the launch of a specialised, dedicated online football gambling task force centre.

The task force already successfully bust an illegal gambling ring this past Sunday which saw six arrests and the confiscation of 13 computers, betting slips and cash.

The task force will hand summons to 600 punters identified from documentation seized in the raid charging them with illegal gambling, deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau Maj-General Panurat Lakboon confirmed.

According to Panarat, if any punters are found to be underage, their parents could possibly face up to 18 months of prison time under the Child Protection Act.

Panurat also revealed that anti-gambling raids from May 1, have seen the arrests of over two dozen bookmakers, 200 bettors and Bt171,856 in cash along with betting slips totalling Bt297,846 along with a number of gambling paraphernalia.

Three hundred illegal gambling websites have been identified and monitored with blocking requests forwarded to the country’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission.

Anti-gambling raids are expected to intensify in the days leading up to and during the Football World Cup.