ShareA police raid in Pattaya, Thailand has netted a $15 million seizure from illegal gambling operators. All gambling is forbidden in the country bar the state lottery and all 42 people detained in the underground casino face multiple charges.
Busted
The raid took place at the four-star Le Vernissage Hotel, situated in North Pattaya. Officers entered the property and found more than $15 million worth of chips along with unlicensed firearms in the possession of the dealers.Incredibly, the illegal outfit had a full complement of security cameras offering law enforcement all the evidence they need to see the case through.
This type of story is commonplace in the Kingdom of Thailand, particularly with operations dedicated to servicing Chinese tourists who face similar problems back home with gambling not being permitted.
Makeshift casinos frequently pop up in Bangkok and Pattaya and then move to new premises to help avoid detection. One such casino was discovered on Christmas Day in a luxury Pattaya condominium with 18 arrests made in the operation led by Pattaya City Police Chief Colonel Kunlachart Kunlachai.
Change Afoot
After many years of the Royal Thai Police attempting to keep a lid on the number of illegal gambling dens, change just might be afoot. The Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha set up a government panel one year ago to assess the possibility of launching a regulated market in the country.Moods seem to be changing throughout the normally conservative population indicating that Thailand’s first legal casinos might soon be under construction. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte also changed his anti-gambling stance last year as the country’s economy came under strain from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Could we soon see South East Asia as a new gambling paradise to rival Las Vegas and Macau?
