Thai police has busted an illegal gambling ring that was bringing in $2.8 million in monthly revenue and operated by South Korean nationals
Thailand has gone after South Korean nationals who local authorities have accused of running and operating illegal online casinos. This comes at a time of increased scrutiny into online casinos, which are not allowed to operate in the country, and which have been the source of worry for Chinese officials.
South Koreans Arrested in Connection to Illegal Gambling in Thailand
During a recent meeting in Beijing, Chinese officials urged Thailand to help crack down on cross-border gambling which involves illegal gambling sites. Now, two South Koreans were arrested in relation to an online casino operation they were allegedly running out of a house in Udon Thani province. Thai officials already worry that the legalization of gambling could attract more criminal elements.
A team of immigration and local police converged on the location and arrested the suspects. Pol Lt Gen Panumart Boonyalak, the immigration bureau chief, coordinated the operation against the foreigners.
Upon raiding the venue, police discovered the two South Koreans running the online casino through dedicated server systems. They were taken in for questioning, local media outlets reported on the case. Two websites were named by investigators as the basis of the South Korean nationals’ operations – Vinus Gaming Services and 100d-1.
The brands are said to have a strong global user base. The suspects have already confessed that they were maintaining the illegal gambling websites and helped gamblers with their transactions as well as helped advertise the websites in South Korea and elsewhere. The gambling websites targeted South Korean clients primarily but also offered gambling options for players in Thailand and other regional countries.
Although it’s not immediately clear which websites generated how much, the operation is said to have brought a monthly turnover of $2.80 million (4 billion South Korean won). The two suspects said that they had received monthly salaries in the range of $2,300 and $2,900 each for maintaining the websites and advertising in the targeted countries.
Thailand Determined to Step Up Enforcement Against Illegal Gambling
Chinese authorities have been equally keen on seeing their Thai homologues step up the fight against illegal gambling. Recently, a man from the mainland was sentenced to six years for running a comprehensive illegal gambling operation which saw services rendered to gamblers from the mainland in remote areas of Macau.
A famous actor, Wang Xing, from the mainland, was also abducted by criminals in Thailand and forced to work in illegal gambling and telecommunication scam operations before he was rescued by local law enforcement.
