Gambling crackdown ahead of World Cup
With the 2018 World Cup in Russia fast approaching, the Royal Thai Police will launch a special centre tasked with cracking down on online football gambling.
It will operate from May 1, deputy national police chief Chalermkiat Srivorakhan said on Wednesday during a video-conference linking the RTP head office in Bangkok to regional police offices.
The multi-unit centre’s proactive approach will begin with a focus on football-betting and gambling-promoting websites that are already known to police.
The owners of Facebook pages showing advertisements inviting people to bet on football match results may also be hit with charges of violating the Gambling Act and the Computer-related Crime Act, Chalermkiat said.
Suspects might be faced with asset-seizure by the Anti-Money Laundering Office, he warned.
Chalermkiat invited the public to provide tip-offs to the temporary centre, which may become permanent to continue the strict suppression of gambling-related crime.
The 21st FIFA World Cup will take place in Russia from June 14 to July 15.