Gambling websites' bank accounts frozen: Thailand

[webfact]

Gambling websites' bank accounts frozen
Pyanut Tumnukasetchai
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has frozen over Bt10 million in bank accounts of at least six gambling websites pending further investigation, after the initial probe found that some 1,000 accounts might be involved in the crime, DSI chief Tarit Pengdit said yesterday.

Reporting the DSI investigation progress into online gambling activities including football betting and online casino, Tarit said that, after he had assigned this job to his deputy Pol Col Yannapol Yangyuen, the working team seized over Bt10 million in bank accounts of gambling websites. He said more than 1,000 bank accounts connected with student and general people were allegedly linked to the online gambling sites - about 20 accounts of these were reportedly identified as the bookies' hence DSI froze more than Bt10 million in the 20 accounts.

DSI investigators are issuing summon warrants for all the frozen accounts' owners to testify, he said. DSI also planned to summon other 100 punters to meet the investigators, he added.

DSI investigation found that the bookies had arranged for at least 200 punters to join gambling activities at foreignbased websites and had operated as an organisation with clear work division including manager, accountant, telephone operator, and money withdrawer person. Some major bookie could have the money flow worth at least Bt200 millionBt500 million a month, while a smaller bookie could get Bt10 million.

To accommodate the punters, the bookies had people transferred money into Thailandbased bank accounts, which they had hired others to open such accounts for this. The bank accounts would be active for a while before they closed and created new accounts (as well as moving their operating offices) every three months hence it was difficult to catch them, he added.

-- The Nation 2013-07-04

[rkidlad]

Bt10 million in the 20 accounts. Going after the big boys I see.

[Mole]

The big dudes are losing losts on these new startups, so I guess they "persuaded" the dsi to round them up.

[lovetotravel]

I was amazed at how many online gambling sites there are dedicated to Thais. They even have links to the local banks.

[noitom]

Get the "punters' not the Mr Thai Bigs. This is nothing more than a quick show and tell run and a cash grab with a few small fish.

[Halion]

More of the same from Tarit and his bang of lackies.

[jpeg]

Having gotten to know gamblers from the small bookies' punter to the cashed up casino players, anything which goes toward stopping this life destructive 'past time' is good in my book.

Edited July 4, 2013 by jpeg

[OzMick]

Understand that it is futile trying to stop stupid people from doing stupid things. But that is not the aim here. Rather it is to stop competition for their own gambling ventures, and prevent off-shore 'bookies' from making untaxed profits.

Edited July 4, 2013 by OzMick

[Pib]

Bt10M?! giggle, giggle....I think the underground lottery just in my mother-in-laws village has more betting per month than Bt10M.

[belg]

and off course, the banks did report NOTHING as (un)usual

[super22k]

Controlled gambling is good fun. If you ban anything it goes underground. It should not be a crime to gamble.Is Thailand a Nannie state?

[Neeranam]

Controlled gambling is good fun. If you ban anything it goes underground. It should not be a crime to gamble.Is Thailand a Nannie state?

It is legal to gamble if the website is not based in Thailand.

[super22k]

It is very confusing.I checked this out and found that some people say you can gamble if the website is outside of Thailand.Others say you cannot. Even if the website is outside Thailand YOU are in Thailand. I was told the only things you can legally gamble on are the Thai lottery and horse racing where you are at the course. The goal posts seem to get moved frequently. A bit of a gamble really.

[Neeranam]

It is very confusing.I checked this out and found that some people say you can gamble if the website is outside of Thailand.Others say you cannot. Even if the website is outside Thailand YOU are in Thailand. I was told the only things you can legally gamble on are the Thai lottery and horse racing where you are at the course. The goal posts seem to get moved frequently. A bit of a gamble really.

I know what the law is as I made intensive enquiries but as it is not allowed to discuss gambling here, I'll refrain from elaborating.

[Thai at Heart]

It is very confusing.I checked this out and found that some people say you can gamble if the website is outside of Thailand.Others say you cannot. Even if the website is outside Thailand YOU are in Thailand. I was told the only things you can legally gamble on are the Thai lottery and horse racing where you are at the course. The goal posts seem to get moved frequently. A bit of a gamble really.

do you really think that the horse racing here is a fair gamble?

[laurab74]

It is very confusing.I checked this out and found that some people say you can gamble if the website is outside of Thailand.Others say you cannot. Even if the website is outside Thailand YOU are in Thailand. I was told the only things you can legally gamble on are the Thai lottery and horse racing where you are at the course. The goal posts seem to get moved frequently. A bit of a gamble really.

do you really think that the horse racing here is a fair gamble?

I've been several times and it's quite a lot of fun. If you bet on the tote and wait until the smart money comes in 2 or 3 minutes before the race starts, then place 2 bets on the two favorites as combinations of 1st/2nd and 2nd, you can almost always pay for your afternoon out. If you bet early, there is little chance of winning, unless you know a friendly horse trainer.

[Tomtomtom69]

I don't see what the big deal is with gambling, even if it's illegal here it's not as evil as prostitution and all the other vices you have here. It's so ridiculous that playing cards are banned here. Oh, but never mind that because Thai Airways international handed them out to every "farang" on a recent flight from Vientiane to Bangkok (TG571 on June 27) but decided not to hand them to other Asian, non-Thai passengers just in case these Asian passengers pulled out a Thai passport and presented themselves as Thais (flawed thinking on the part of Thai Airways thinking no westerners live in Thailand and all Asian looking passengers on that flight were Thai when in fact there were more Lao and even Chinese travelers than Thais - dumbasses). Not to mention the fact that my playing cards are right here with me in Thailand and this is where they will stay - I live here and so do lots of other "farangs", despite what it says on the packet "for export only". How about handing out the cards on flights OUT of Thailand?

[thhMan]

Does this mean every lottery winner, every lottery player and every lottery organizer has their accounts frozen... Or is that ok, but the rest isnt?

[lee b]

Bt10M?! giggle, giggle....I think the underground lottery just in my mother-in-laws village has more betting per month than Bt10M.

You could be right 555

[surangw]

maybe they need to buy a "special" permit to conduct business.

[Zpete]

maybe they need to buy a "special" permit to conduct business.

SHUUUSH, summun mite get ideas, BIG Baht licences, then renewal fees.

Wow, imagine the dosh.......

Wait, that happens already, wot's new?

[Neeranam]

I don't see what the big deal is with gambling, even if it's illegal here it's not as evil as prostitution and all the other vices you have here. It's so ridiculous that playing cards are banned here. Oh, but never mind that because Thai Airways international handed them out to every "farang" on a recent flight from Vientiane to Bangkok (TG571 on June 27) but decided not to hand them to other Asian, non-Thai passengers just in case these Asian passengers pulled out a Thai passport and presented themselves as Thais (flawed thinking on the part of Thai Airways thinking no westerners live in Thailand and all Asian looking passengers on that flight were Thai when in fact there were more Lao and even Chinese travelers than Thais - dumbasses). Not to mention the fact that my playing cards are right here with me in Thailand and this is where they will stay - I live here and so do lots of other "farangs", despite what it says on the packet "for export only". How about handing out the cards on flights OUT of Thailand?

Playing cards is not illegal here. Every 7/11 sells them.

As policeman told me - it's only illegal when you have chips or some sort of tallying records, or of course cash on the table.