Technology Crime Suppression Police led forces with a court warrant to search 3 locations in Chiang Rai Province to take down the OK2D gambling website. Cyber police arrested 8 suspects who confessed to being hired as admins.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Trirong Phiwpaen, Commander of the Technology Crime Suppression Division, said the gambling website had 80,344 members and a monthly turnover of 200 million baht.
In the first location, cyber police searched a house in Ban Du Subdistrict, Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai. They arrested Ms. Chananthida Homsakunkajorn, 24; Ms. Waranya Bamrungna, 23; Ms. Chutima Namlong, 24; and Ms. Aranyarat Charoenying, 20. They also found evidence of 4 computers, 10 mobile phones, and 3 barcode scanners.
The second location was another house in Ban Du Subdistrict, Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai. Cyber police arrested Ms. Sutthita Phromla and Ms. Saranporn Winijwongpana and seized 5 computers, 39 mobile phones, 3 tablets, 1 router, 20 bankbooks and 25 ATM cards, and 130,000 baht in cash.
At the 3rd point, the cyber police force searched a house in Mae Sai Subdistrict, Mae Sai District, Chiang Rai, and arrested Mr. Natthaphong Sae Ling, aged 30, along with evidence of 1 computer, 1 mobile phone and 1 router.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Trairong said the arrests came after the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) received many complaints from the public about online gambling websites in Chiang Rai Province.
He said all suspects confessed that they were hired to be admin officers, overseeing marketing and withdrawing money from gambling websites. During the search, they found the online gambling website was linked to 2-3 other websites, with more than 200,000 players and a turnover of more than 1 billion baht.
Cyber police are working to take down the other sites and bring the owners to justice.
Online gambling is illegal in Thailand. In 2020, as a part of a campaign against online casinos, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society began cooperating with other state agencies to block websites that provide such services.
Gamblers face a fine of only 2,000 baht, while operators face a fine of 20,000 to 200,000 baht and/or up to two years in jail.
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Geoff Thomas is an award winning journalist known for his sharp insights and no-nonsense reporting style. Over the years he has worked for Reuters and the Canadian Press covering everything from political scandals to human interest stories. He brings a clear and direct approach to his work.
