Over 500 Arrested In Thailand For World Cup Gambling

[Jai Dee]

Over 500 arrested in Thailand for World Cup gambling

BANGKOK: More than 500 people have been arrested in Bangkok for $5 million worth of illegal gambling on football since the World Cup kicked off early this month, police said Sunday.

Among the 532 people arrested were 94 bookies. Collectively, all those arrested were involved in $5.1 million of illegal bets, police Colonel Pinit Maneerat said.

Police have deployed 100 special units to crack down on gambling during the World Cup, staging raids on bars and other entertainment areas.

Although Thailand does not compete in the World Cup, the football-mad nation is expected to wager some $1 billion on the tournament, according to one research centre.

Pinit said he was optimistic that the amount of money wagered would drop signficantly as authorities target some of the country’s biggest bookies. AFP

Source: Daily Times - Monday, June 26, 2006

[jackr]

Anyone have any solid info that betting online from an account outside Thailand is ok or not? I think I read on here that some minister was quoted as saying that during the 2002 cup, online gambling for farangs was ok as long as they used their home accounts.