Up to 2,600 arrests made in Thailand over illegal UEFA gambling

The Royal Thai Police are cracking down on online and on-site gambling, as up to 2,600 arrests have been made since the start of the UEFA European Football Championship.

The Centre for the Prevention and Suppression of Illegal Euro 2024 Football Betting has been active since the tournament began and will cover the full length which runs until July 14.

Officers involved have been working to prevent and suppress illegal gambling activities that have taken place online and in person. While the football remains ongoing, a huge number of people have already been arrested.

The Nation, a Thai publisher, has spoken with the police to get the details. From June 21 to June 27, 784 suspects have been arrested for on-site gambling. This includes 769 bettors, 12 bet collectors, and three bookmakers. The total circulation of this has been 117,440 baht.

When it comes to online gambling, a total of 265 suspects have been arrested and 80 websites have been taken down. This includes 230 bettors and 35 gambling organizers, with more than 400 million baht having been in circulation.

Thailand police give a warning as thousands arrested over gambling

This is just a short snapshot of the tournament so far, with a total of 2,113 suspects having been arrested for on-site gambling from June 14 to June 27. This has included 2,052 bettors, 22 bet collectors, and 39 bookmakers.

From the same timeline, a further 513 suspects have been arrested for online gambling and 142 websites have been taken down. This includes 450 bettors and 63 online gambling organizers.

Pol Lt Gen Akkaradej Phimonsri, assistant national police chief, said: “The Royal Thai Police will continue their stringent efforts to suppress illegal football betting activities.”

He issued a warning to business operators or establishments that allow the public to watch the matches from the Euros to close their services due to legal requirements. He warned that any violations would result in legal action.

As the tournament is far from over, with things just hotting up, more arrests could be made.

Featured Image: Photo by Waranont (Joe) on Unsplash