6 Arrested on Koh Samui for Running Billion Baht Gambling Website

Police arrested 6 people in Koh Samui on charges of running an online gambling website with tens of billions of baht in circulation, following police raids at a hotel on Koh Samui and other sites.

Police commandos from Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) searched seven locations on Koh Samui they believed were linked to a high profile gambling website. Six people, including the website owner. They were apprehended on the island on Koh Samui, Pol Lt Gen Torsak Sukwimol, the CIB chief, said.

The four men and two women were identified as website owner Kriattisak Charoensuk, 27; Surin Kaewsaengthong, 27, administrator; Jaruwan Phumphuang, 27, accountant; Nathaphon Khumsap, 28, who reportedly opened bank accounts for customers to transfer money; Chalita Pithaksakulkasem, 27, reportedly in charge of withdrawing money; and Thaweephong Suksuwannapon, 28, linked to withdrawing money and marketing affairs.

They were arrested separately at a hotel in Koh Samui and other venues. Police seized about Bt50 million in cash, also eight luxury cars and five guns.

Gambling website provided several types of gambling

Investigators spent more than three months looking into the operations of the gambling website. The gambling website provided several types of gambling. Including underground lottery betting, football and casino gambling.

The website reportedly had tens of billions of baht in circulation. The website owner and his accomplices allegedly used money acquired from the gambling operation to run other businesses. Buying luxury cars, houses and condominium units.

The CIB then sought court warrants to arrest seven people, six of whom were caught while one fled overseas.

The police operation had been running since October 2018. Some of the website members had been caught earlier at a hotel in Pattaya city. Operators later changed the name of the website but it still used the old URL, police said. The gambling website ran on a server abroad, police added.

All of those arrested were charged with colluding in running a gambling website and money laundering. The suspects are in police custody pending further legal action. The investigation is also being extended to other parts of Thailand to find others involved.

Source: Bangkok Post, Thai PBS