Pathum Thani: The Police Cyber Taskforce (PCT) yesterday raided two locations in Thanyaburi district and arrested 18 suspects for running an online gambling operation yesterday morning.

Deputy police chief, Pol superslot Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas, in his capacity as PCT director, said investigators discovered that two houses in Thanyaburi district were being used by a gambling network that offered sports betting through several websites and online handles, including @MGM99, @MGM99VP, @MGM99TH and PD24H.com.

Armed with search warrants issued by the Thanyaburi Court, PCT officers raided house No.121/161 in Phum Pirom Housing Estate and house No.111/137 at Thanya Pirom Housing Estate, where 13 luxury cars, 16 computers along with 11 million baht in cash were found and subsequently seized.

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In addition, authorities also froze some 1.2 billion baht across several bank accounts, pending the result of a probe to determine if the assets and cash were acquired from proceeds from illegal gambling, which would make them liable for seizure.

Pol Gen Damrongsak said the gang had been running an online betting website and three group chats, in which they facilitated betting on Euro 2020 football matches. They also ran a lucrative virtual casino with its own deposit and withdrawal system, he said.

The arrests were made as part of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and national police chief Pol Gen Suwat Jangyodsuk's campaign to suppress gambling, partly due to its links to money laundering by criminal gangs.