CHIANG MAI – The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) seized a luxury home and assets valued at over 10 million baht after arresting a man linked to illegal Premier League broadcasts and online gambling networks. Damages from the operation are estimated at nearly 2.4 billion baht.
Officials reported that on 20 August 2025, Ratchaphruek Chudam (Deputy Director of the Technology and Information Cases Division, DSI) and Pornchai Jitboon (DSI Special Case Investigator) led a team to a gated community in Chang Phueak, Mueang District.
There, they confiscated property belonging to Mr G. (pseudonym), who is in his early thirties. This action follows a 31 July 2024 operation against a group unlawfully streaming football matches across nine websites (with other related sites and individuals also under review).
Authorities traced these activities to money movements linked with online gambling and mule accounts under special case 291/2565.
Ratchaphruek explained that today’s seizure led local police (along with Maeping Police Station investigators) to press further charges connected to betting sites. They reported the case to the Anti-Money Laundering Office, which ordered the temporary freeze of 12 assets.
These included eight bank accounts, one house with land, a car, and two motorcycles. DSI staff handed the assets to AMLO for official proceedings. The seized assets today totalled over 10 million baht.
The operation was carried out at the direction of Pol. Maj. Yuttana Praedam (Director General, DSI), Pol. Maj. Chatupol Bongchommas (Deputy Director General, DSI) and Pol. Capt. Khemchat Prakaikhongmanee (Head of Technology and Information Cases Division), who tasked their team to Chiang Mai following the July operation on illegal match broadcasts and financial crimes.
Pornchai Jitboon stated that the group not only distributed the Premier League signal without permission (despite TrueVisions holding the sole rights since 2020), but they also used their sites to prompt visitors to join various forms of online gambling.
The sites involved included tvsod.com, bee789.com, ballza.com, 7mscorethai.com, 7mscorethai.net, dooballdotlink.com, suckballhd.com, amlogin789.com, 7upth.com, and others. Viewers could watch live matches for free, but were directed to bet on football, online lottery, baccarat, slot machines, and international betting sites.
This caused TrueVisions’ losses estimated at over 2 billion baht and caused global harm by steering users into online gambling, which saw additional damages of more than 240 million baht. The DSI tracked transactions through more than 150 mule accounts, with assets including cash, real estate, luxury goods, designer watches, gold, pickup trucks, and custom motorcycles seized or frozen.
The investigation broke the operation into four groups. The first were individuals using mule accounts to receive and move funds; many were low-income, foreigners, or people without stable housing. Around 150 people opened accounts or handled transfers.
The second group consisted of page admins and website developers, who managed network connections and handled payments (about 15 people). The third were those handling cash and sending funds to ringleaders (about 20 people).
The fourth group included financiers backing the network (about 10 people). Offences include money laundering, copyright violations for commercial gain, and running or advertising illegal online gambling, as outlined in Thai law.
DSI has already filed charges against some suspects and is working to track those who fled abroad. The agency plans to speed up investigations and coordinate with other authorities to bring those responsible, especially organizers and financiers, to justice. Their goal is to protect copyright holders’ rights and help prevent similar offences in the future.
Operating illegal online gambling sites in Thailand is prohibited under the Gambling Act B.E. 2478 (1935), and penalties for violations can be severe. Under the existing Gambling Act, organizing or operating unauthorized gambling activities, including online gambling, can result in imprisonment of up to 3 years and/or a fine of up to 5,000 baht for activities classified under List A (e.g., casino-style games like poker, roulette, or slot machines).
The Thai government, through the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), actively blocks illegal gambling websites (e.g., 1,830 sites blocked in 2024). Operating illegal gambling sites may also lead to charges under the Anti-Money Laundering Act or Cybersecurity Act B.E. 2562 (2019), especially if linked to financial crimes or transnational operations.
