Financial masterminds
Thailand’s Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) has announced the arrest of two female financial masterminds behind a prominent pair of illegal online betting websites.
The TCSD on Monday provided details of operation Zero Bet, which culminated in a raid on a four-story commercial property in Nothanburi’s Bang Kruai district. A Nonthaburi Provincial Court search warrant enabled police to forcefully enter the building suspected of being the financial headquarters of the two online gambling networks.
seizure of almost ฿10m ($270,000) in cash
The warrant proved soundly served, resulting in the seizure of almost ฿10m ($270,000) in cash. Luxury assets, such as supercars like Lamborghinis, pushed the value of items police confiscated to more than ฿60m ($1.6m).
The raid also caught two prominent women in its net accused of controlling the financials behind the illegal online gambling network, which the subsequent investigation revealed posted a yearly turnover of over ฿1,250m ($33,600).
Illegal gains seized
Of the two women police arrested, 34-year-old Chutima played the most prominent role, managing the finances of the illegal online gambling sites and “withdrawing cash from proxy accounts every three days.”
According to The Thaiger, the other woman police arrested, Sumalee, 33, was “implicated as an initial cash handler.”
“annual transaction volume” of over ฿250m ($6.7m)
The second case linked to the bust involved the identification and shutdown of the online gambling network ufa888x.info. According to police reports, the site hosted over 100,000 members “with an annual transaction volume” of over ฿250m ($6.7m).
The police served warrants on 33 individuals linked to the illegal online network, arresting five, including the “website owner, the developers of the online betting system, financial managers, and proxy account holders.”
Assets seized in the second case include Lamborghini supercars and luxury vehicles made by BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen. Premium brand watches, designer handbags, computer equipment, mobile phones, bankbooks, and ATM cards with a combined value of over ฿50m ($1.34m), were also seized.
Women face justice
Chutima and Sunmalee face an uncertain future, as authorities accuse the pair of money laundering and advertising and promoting illegal gambling sites. TCSD investigators are processing the case in line with Thai law.
While retail and online casino and mainstream sports betting is illegal in Thailand, there’s growing certainty that the country could open its first casino resorts ahead of Japan’s first ever integrated resort in 2030.
Las Vegas Sands CEO Rob Goldstein has even given an enthusiastic thumbs up to his casino firm potentially expanding into Thailand, stating LVS “absolutely” has an interest in the country.