Police Raid Condo, Arrest Chinese in Online Gambling Bust

Picture courtesy of Daily News

Police have raided a condominium in Bangkok’s Huai Khwang district, arresting three Chinese nationals and one Myanmar national allegedly operating an online gambling platform. The operation, led on 14 November by Pol Maj Gen Teeradech Thammasutee, Deputy Commissioner of Metropolitan Police Bureau, followed intelligence that foreign suspects were gathering to use drugs, although no narcotics were ultimately found. Officers discovered instead an active online gambling “back office” running online slots, football betting, basketball betting, baccarat and other games.

The raid was conducted by teams from the Narcotics Suppression Centre of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, the Metropolitan Investigation Bureau and Huai Khwang Police Station, supported by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB). A search warrant authorised entry into the condominium unit, where officers seized four laptop computers, ten mobile phones, seven packs of untaxed cigarettes and OTP authentication devices. Drug tests on all four suspects returned negative results and no drugs were recovered from the room.

Investigators reported that the laptops were logged into the management system of a large gambling website at the time of the raid. During questioning, the suspects claimed they had entered Thailand as tourists and attempted to pose as students. Police examined their phones and found messages and notes from a wider Chinese network impersonating students, including instructions on how to mislead authorities by stating they were unemployed or studying at a well-known university.

All four suspects denied involvement in the gambling operation, but police said their statements conflicted with evidence collected during surveillance and digital examinations. Officers believe the group was part of a broader operation involving foreign nationals covertly running illegal gambling platforms in central Bangkok. The discovery of guidance materials for evading scrutiny further raised suspicions about coordinated criminal activity.

The suspects were initially charged with jointly organising unauthorised online gambling for profit, importing untaxed excise goods and being foreign nationals unlawfully staying in the Kingdom. Investigators are continuing to expand the case and may add further charges. The suspects and seized items have been handed over to investigators at Huai Khwang Police Station for legal proceedings.

Daily News reported that Pol Lt Gen Siam Boonsom, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, has ordered a detailed follow-up investigation to identify additional members of the network. Authorities are expected to examine digital evidence, trace financial transactions and coordinate with immigration officials. Further raids or arrests may follow as the inquiry progresses.

Key Takeaways

• Police arrested three Chinese nationals and one Myanmar national suspected of operating an online gambling “back office” from a condo in Bangkok.

• Laptops, phones and other devices indicated active gambling operations despite suspects claiming to be tourists posing as students.

• Investigators are expanding the case, with additional charges and further arrests expected.

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  Adapted  by  Asean  Now from Dailynews 2025-11-15