The team, which was led by Pattaya City Police Chief Colonel Kunlachart Kunlachai, raided the illegal gambling den on Christmas Day in Soi Phra Tamnuk 3, Nongprue. Authorities have not released the name of the location.
During the raid, 18 people (four men and 14 women) were arrested and multiple gambling items were seized. According to Chief Kunlachart, the sums generated in the gambling den amounted to millions of baht.
Three of the arrested suspects were staff members of the illegal casino, while the rest of the 15 were gamblers. The names of the suspects have not been released.
Police say each member of staff received 500 baht ($15) daily and gamblers had to pay a fee of 1,000 baht to enter the casino and join in the gambling sessions. The cost of each gambling session varied depending on the chosen game or the placed wager.
All 18 suspects were taken into the Pattaya City Police Station, while the police are continuing the investigation and trying to determine who is behind the illegal gambling den as the actual owner.
Police explained that gambling is not only a highly illegal activity in Thailand, but also a very risky one for the spread of Covid-19.
Back in 2020, a cluster of Covid infections that started and spread through illegal gambling establishments in Rayong and Chonburi eventually led to numerous businesses closures.
