Thai police arrest more Koreans in gambling raids

Thai police and immigration authorities arrested 11 South Korean nationals operating illegal gambling rackets in three separate residences in Pattaya recently.

The busts are the latest in what has become a growing problem involving Koreans and other Asian criminals setting up gambling operations in Thailand due to the lax punishments that Thai authorities impose.

The three operations, all located in rented luxury houses, were all connected to the same online gambling network, CalvinAyre.com reported.

One operation reportedly handled wagers worth 11 million baht ($316,000) in the previous month, while another handled 800,000 baht on the day preceding the raids. In total, police seized 20 computers used for taking wagers.

The arrested Koreans told police that they’d been operating in Thailand for four months due to less severe punishment than what they would encounter back home and lower operating costs.

Police also raided another house recently, arresting four individuals who had been running a business worth 2 million baht ($57,000) per day.

The four arrested were in fact Chinese but cited similar reasons to the Koreans for operating in Thailand.

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