Thai nationals returned after Laos gambling raid

Thai officials have received 41 Thai nationals from Laos following a crackdown on online gambling and scam networks in Vientiane. All told officials they had crossed the border voluntarily to work as administrators for gambling websites, according to screening interviews.

The group, comprising 30 women and 11 men, was handed over by Lao authorities at 4pm on 10 August under the National Referral Mechanism (NRM).

They had been detained in Laos on allegations of working without permission and involvement in illegal online gambling operations.

Handover at the Nong Khai border

Police Lieutenant Colonel Thiyapat Rangsipramankul, deputy superintendent of Nong Khai Immigration, and Police Lieutenant Colonel Apichat Kholtha, an inspector at Nong Khai Immigration, took part in receiving the group.

Officials from the Thai Embassy in Vientiane and other relevant agencies also attended the handover at a second-floor meeting room at the Lao side of the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge border crossing.

After returning to Thailand through the First Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge checkpoint in Nong Khai, the 41 people were taken to the No. 1 Territorial Defence Volunteer Company in Mueang Nong Khai district.

Police and a multi-agency team then conducted detailed interviews and screening. The process involved security agencies, bodies under the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, the Ministry of Labour and other relevant departments.

Provincial police, immigration officers, the Internal Security Operations Command in Nong Khai, the Surasak Montri Task Force and provincial territorial defence volunteers provided security and personnel support.

Three gambling websites named

During interviews, every member of the group said they had gone to Laos to work as online gambling site administrators.

They named three sites: Maha Heng 777, which paid 400 baht per day; a UFA site, which paid 15,000 baht per month; and 365, which paid 18,000 baht per month. Work was organised in 12-hour shifts.

Officials said the screening found none of the 41 people to be victims of a trafficking network or forced labour. Checks of their names and travel records found no arrest warrants or case IDs, and all had left Thailand through legal border channels.

Picture courtesy of Matichon

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12 August 2026

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