Thousands of slot machines, circuit boards destroyed

[Lite Beer]

Thousands of slot machines, circuit boards destroyed
The Sunday Nation

Backhoes are used to destroy gambling machines seized over the past two months, during a campaign against illegal gambling, at the 11th Infantry Regiment in Bangkok yesterday. Confiscated circuit boards for slot machines were also run over by steamrollers

BANGKOK: -- Almost 4,000 slot machines, plus 1,500 integrated-circuit boards for gambling machines were destroyed yesterday.

The machines had been confiscated as part of the National Council for Peace and Order's campaign to curb illegal gambling. Police and Army officials destroyed the machines and IC boards at the 11th Infantry Regiment.

Acting police chief General Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit was joined by police and Army officers as well as representatives from relevant ministries and organisations at a ceremony to witness the demolition of the confiscated gambling machines.

The destroyed machines and IC boards were then taken to Bang Poo Industrial Estate in Samut Prakan for recycling.

The wooden parts were brought to the industrial estate for elimination by burning. It is expected to take at least four days for all of them to be completely eliminated.

A similar event was held at the Third Army Region in Phitsanulok yesterday, with almost 200 gambling machines and 176 IC boards destroyed.

Watcharapol said that before the NCPO took over, confiscating slot machines was difficult because of legal loopholes. However, he said the NCPO had undertaken a policy that empowered police and as a result they could effectively tackle underground gambling.

He said IC boards for gambling machines, priced at about Bt100,000 each, were smuggled into Thailand. He added that on many occasions, the slot machines' valuable IC boards were removed before police raids.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Thousands-of-slot-machines-circuit-boards-destroye-30242161.html

-- The Nation 2014-08-31

[ukrules]

Someone's going to make a lot of money selling new machines to the previous owners of these.

[Rooo]

Just to show how useless & corrupt the system was to allow the accumulation of such numbers..

[JesseFrank]

The destroyed machines and IC boards were then taken to Bang Poo Industrial Estate in Samut Prakan for recycling.

So from the 4000 destroyed ones they gonna make 2000 new ones ?

[123thaibourbon]

Welcome to Thailand! gambling is allowed on private yachts/islands offshore some kliks away, the ubiquitous hotel size massage parlors(brothels) are OK too, the White Lotus society & Khun Sa Inc are alive & well... all r

oads lead back to Rome. follow the money trails, tails & tales respectively.. when some pretty boy Floydd tries to get a piece of the 'action' , better watch out! this is where Dr. TS fumbled on the goal line as he declared war on drugs & 'corruption'. in turn, unsavory characters like E. Anchanabutr (now dead) became a deployed henchman of the Bkk systemo machino. as the song goes, been around the world and seen alot of men; some rob you with a six-gun and some w/ a fountain pen.. or perhaps jolly green giant trac-hoes! ho ho ho

[Local Drunk]

On Thursday morning I saw the police and perhaps 10 trucks loading up these machines. They've been there for years in a store front that seems to have been used as a warehouse. It was fairly common knowledge that they were there.

Yesterday morning I drove by the 11th and wow! They hadn't yet started the crushing and it was amazing to see them lined up on the parade ground.

[DaamNaam]

Starting to like this government.

Talk is cheap, shut up and dance. And that's what they are doing. Like it or lump it.

[Greer]

Good that they confiscated the machines and I guess that the crushing made it less likely that anyone can use the parts, but it was a bit of a publicity stunt in a way because a more effective and definitive way to destroy PC boards is to punch a couple of holes in them - then just put them into an industrial grade crusher (similar to an ore crusher) that they use in recycling centres to destroy things - this would also apply to the machine cases themselves - but not as photogenic I guess.

[Thai at Heart]

Do people still use these machines in the age of the internet?

[fab4]

Hallelujah! We're saved.

[Muhendis]

I'll bet there is no concern for WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) disposal in Thailand. For those unfamiliar it is a directive to control disposal of hazardous electrical components etc. If you want to know more, google it

[transam]

A.............. "LOS" VEGAS ..............is of the cards then.......

[robertthebruce]

Do people still use these machines in the age of the internet?

Yes for sure, when I go to London I am a regular at the Casinos and I play the slots , anything from 50 baht a spin up to 500 baht a spin, honestly they are big buisness in the Gambling industry...

The Casino I frequent in London is mobbed and you normally have to wait for a machine...

Jackpot is 50,000 baht....

[Pib]

Ah, these were probably old machines running the obsolete Win XP (no more security updates) and turned in willingly as the gambling dens were getting new machines running Win 7 or 8.1.

[Thai at Heart]

Do people still use these machines in the age of the internet?

Yes for sure, when I go to London I am a regular at the Casinos and I play the slots , anything from 50 baht a spin up to 500 baht a spin, honestly they are big buisness in the Gambling industry...

The Casino I frequent in London is mobbed and you normally have to wait for a machine...

Jackpot is 50,000 baht....

Not in the context of legal playing in casinos. More in the context of gambling in Thailand where it is supposedly illegal such as pornography, prostitution and corruption.

[tracker1]

This also included Pin Ball machines whoever thinks this is gambling God only knows I have never got any winning out of a pin ball machine but got a lot of numbers which was worth Jack S**T

[khunPer]

A pity that they did not find a way to reuse the electronic components and other materials instead of just smashing the machines…

[Basil B]

Here in the UK, betting shops now have slot machines and it is clear to me that many people in betting shops are those on welfare, just shovelling money into slot machines, these are the most vulnerable of society who are least able to manage their own affairs, exploited for the gain of others.

[Basil B]

A pity that they did not find a way to reuse the electronic components and other materials instead of just smashing the machines…

Many of the electronic components would be dated and of little use, certainly of no use for commercial use, reclaiming gold and other metals is possible but very time consuming and very polluting.

[Estrada]

A pity that they did not find a way to reuse the electronic components and other materials instead of just smashing the machines…

Many of the electronic components would be dated and of little use, certainly of no use for commercial use, reclaiming gold and other metals is possible but very time consuming and very polluting.

Reclaiming gold and precious metals is fast and not polluting with the right machine. 20 years ago we were going to go ahead with a factory at Onnuch with a former BMA Governor but the scheme met with opposition from the mafia who just set fire to it to reclaim the metals.

I used to trade in gaming machines in the UK. Judging by the photos, these are very old machines and look like scrap yard quality.

If anyone wants to buy one they are still available. Talat Rot Fai behind Seacon Square has a good selection.

[transam]

For sure that stuff has been sold on to a scrap dealer.........

[belg]

and then ... thailand discovered ... ONLINE GAMBLING ....

available on every pc, laptop, tablet, smartphone