World Cup kicks off huge illegal betting spree

By The Nation

 

 

Police join with banks, AMLO to stem tide of online football gambling.

 

WITH SOME 3,000 football gambling suspects nabbed in just the first five days of the Fifa World Cup, police have joined with the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo), 36 banks and the e-money service provider Telco in monitoring for suspected online gambling money transactions, Amlo chief Romsit Wiriyasan said yesterday. The banks and Telco will alert police or Amlo about suspicious transactions for investigation, he explained.

 

 

Those involved in online football gambling – including punters, bookies, web owners and administrators, bank account holders and those who benefit – would face criminal prosecutions and asset seizure under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, Romsit warned.

 

Police have vowed to continue monitoring “gambling-prone venues” such as night entertainment sites, Internet cafes and computer-game shops. Meanwhile, Technology Crime Suppression Division units, including Amlo’s “cyber patrols” will monitor gambling websites and gather evidence for prosecution, Romsit said.

 

In addition to the current gambling crackdown, Romsit said that his agency will also apply the transaction monitoring method to 26 types of crime, with a hotline by which banks and Telco could alert authorities.

 

Police also beefed up security at gold shops, banks, ATMs and convenience stores in case desperate debt-ridden gamblers resorted to thefts and robberies, said police spokesman Pol Colonel Krissana Pattanacharoen.

 

During May 1 to June 17, police handled 2,751 football gambling cases covering 2,827 suspects, including more than 250 suspects in Bangkok alone, Krissana said. 

 

Punters arrested

 

A total of 107 football bookmakers were targeted with 111 suspects netted, 2,536 football-gambling cases with 2,574 punters arrested, and 33 ticket-runner cases with 36 suspects nabbed. For online gambling, there were 30 bookie cases with 42 suspects arrested and 45 online football-gambling cases with 64 punters netted. Police also seized Bt520,247 cash, Bt1.5 million-worth of football betting tickets and another Bt12,825 in bankbook, he added.

 

A specialised centre for football gambling suppression was set up on May 1 by national police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda. It will operate under the helm of Pol General Chalermkiat Srivorakan, the deputy national police chief, until the World Cup tournament is over on July 15.

 

Chalermkiat revealed that 100 out of the estimated 100,000 Internet gambling websites were administrated by Thais and based in the country, mainly in and around Bangkok, and police were gathering evidence to apply for court orders to shut them down.

 

This World Cup has seen an increase in football gambling cases because more people have access to gambling websites via smartphones, said Chalermkiat. He added that 10 “Net Idols” from Thai social media who are accused of promoting football betting would testify to Bangkok police tomorrow.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30348057

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-06-19

I don't think that anyone would argue with the idea that there will be/is large-scale betting on the World Cup; it would be irrational to think that it doesn't occur.

 

And, trying to stop it completely is the equivalent of ordering the sun not to rise; it ain't going to happen.

 

Perhaps a better approach to all this is/would have been to mitigate the potential damage of the gambling? Get the message out that you can lose more than you will likely win and advocate limited bets? Regulate the odds better? Open a means whereby people can place small bets without consorting with criminal elements?

 

Blanket bans on betting, especially on something like the World Cup. simply do not work.

 

I would like to know how many thai gambled that germany would win yesterday....i bet loads of them.

They can't stop it. They might just as well do what Vietnam had the good sense to do and legalise it and collect taxes.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/2017/02/04/vietnam-legalises-football-racing-gambling/

A few days ago , i was watching the news,Thai PBS , it was stating the Prime minister was cracking down on the gambling on the world cup football  , scrolling along the bottom of the TV screen (at the same time of the announcement ) was , Khon Kaen Post office issuing post cards for you to predict the world cup outcome ,with the chance of winning 40 million , TIT 

I only bet on mud wrestling.

 

That top photo. Absolute classic ?

Thai people make bet.

Make legal and fair. Tax.

It real life.

Of course they can stop the gambling. If you look at the photo, you will see that they have adopted the pose pioneered at political summits over the last few decades. Arms crossed, hand grasped firmly on each side, signifying absolute sincerity, determination, honesty, unity and capability. You also see it at photo ops on stamping out corruption. Prayuth has been in many of these.

 

Who could not believe it?

Unfortunately Thai's men and women have a love of gambling,lotto,cards ect,re the story of the woman who robbed the gold shop after loosing baht 200,000 her husband had sent her. Now i am not saying this is a Thai thing gambling is a problem all over the world but many Thai's will do anything to get a stake as we saw in this story,i know several expats who's wife took out loan's from banks on houses cars ect from their husbands to continue,one reason i keep the blue books and chanote's  from our 2 houses hidden from my wife,i trust almost no one were money is involved,least of all a Thai person.

6 hours ago, Cadbury said:

legalise it and collect taxes.

The Great Grandfather of King Rama X had the better sense to outlaw all gambling in the Kingdom... guess many here are unaware of the history...