Key points:
- The gambling den had been operating for nearly a year
- Gamblers were being transported to the den
An operation carried out in the province of Nakhon Nayok in central Thailand uncovered a large gambling den with over 200 gamblers present.
Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul was key in ordering a team to be created in order to carry out the operation, raiding the gambling den which was located in the middle of a rice field.
Originally, this operation came about because of a complaint the Nakhon Nayok Provincial Ombudsman Center and the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman Center received regarding the gambling den, which was said to be open 24 hours a day for people to gamble in.
Good to know: Last month the Thailand Cabinet approved a bill to legalise land-based casino gambling
Arrests were carried out. Within the den, there was a range of gambling options including online gambling, while in total there were cash and chips worth over baht 2m ($0.06m) found, as well as gambling equipment.
It was found that this gambling den had been operating for nearly a year, while there had been taxis, minibuses and vans transporting gamblers to play at the den.
Charnvirakul said: “The duty of the Ministry of Interior is to focus on social order to create a peaceful society, an orderly country, and to let go of vices and ensure the safety of the people. Anything that conflicts with this aim is something that we must allow the state mechanism to eliminate completely.”
This news comes at a time when a recent poll showed the majority of people in Thailand oppose casino and online gambling legalisation.