Cambodian sites easily accessible to Thai bettors
Thai police may be losing the fight against both offline and online sports betting, according to a report in the Bangkok Post.
Phanurat Lakboon, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, told the Post it’s an uphill battle to track down the purveyors of gaming websites that, while illegal for people in Thailand, may be operating above-board in neighboring countries like Cambodia. The activity has picked up considerably since the start of the FIFA World Cup.
“You can catch physical gambling pools or arrest gamblers in the den,” said Phanurat. “But it is almost impossible to track down those masterminds, both Thais and foreigners, behind online football gambling rings. Most of them operated betting websites from Cambodia where gambling was legal under the neighboring country’s law.
“We can’t tell Cambodia to close down its online gambling websites because gambling is legal there,” he continued. “This factor makes it very hard to crack down on online football betting in Thailand.”
Moreover, there are few strong deterrents to stem illegal bets in the country. Section 12 of Thailand’s Gambling Act carries a 1,000 baht (US$30) fine and imprisonment of up to one year. But the court typically suspends jail terms for betting on football.
To strengthen efforts against football gambling, Phanurat said police are trying to tie illegal gaming activities to the Anti-Money Laundering Act, which would enable law enforcement to freeze and confiscate assets. The MPB deputy chief added that more than 300 online football betting websites, mostly operating from abroad, have been monitored by officials who specialize in fighting cybercrime. They’ve submitted lists of the websites to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission, requesting it to block to access to those sites.
