Bangkok authorities carried out a massive raid on an underground gambling den, arresting 200 people and uncovering an operation that generated more than THB500 million ($14.6 million) each month. Acting Prime Minister and Interior Minister Phumtham Wechayachai confirmed the results of the bust on Monday.
The den operated almost non-stop, opening daily from 10 a.m. until 6 a.m. with only a brief four-hour break. Police had monitored the site for about a month before moving in, according to the Bangkok Post.
Local residents sparked the investigation after filing complaints that the illegal hub fueled insecurity in their neighborhoods and even drew in teenagers, creating serious addiction problems.
Inside the venue, authorities found five separate gambling rooms, including a VIP section and a large central hall. Each room reportedly pulled in three to four million baht within just a few hours. Officers also seized 17 bank passbooks used to record the flow of funds.
Officials identified the den as part of a wider criminal network. Although police had raided the group several times in the past, it repeatedly resumed operations. The scale of this latest bust underscores Thailand’s ongoing struggle against organized gambling crime.
Phumtham stressed that the arrests demonstrate the government’s determination to protect vulnerable citizens and cut off illicit revenue streams. Investigators are now tracing the network’s wider financial links in an effort to dismantle the syndicate completely.
