Thousands of slot machines, circuit boards destroyed
Almost 4,000 slot machines, plus 1,500 integrated-circuit boards for gambling machines were destroyed yesterday.
The machines had been confiscated as part of the National Council for Peace and Order’s campaign to curb illegal gambling. Police and Army officials destroyed the machines and IC boards at the 11th Infantry Regiment.
Acting police chief General Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit was joined by police and Army officers as well as representatives from relevant ministries and organisations at a ceremony to witness the demolition of the confiscated gambling machines.
The destroyed machines and IC boards were then taken to Bang Poo Industrial Estate in Samut Prakan for recycling.
The wooden parts were brought to the industrial estate for elimination by burning. It is expected to take at least four days for all of them to be completely eliminated.
A similar event was held at the Third Army Region in Phitsanulok yesterday, with almost 200 gambling machines and 176 IC boards destroyed.
Watcharapol said that before the NCPO took over, confiscating slot machines was difficult because of legal loopholes. However, he said the NCPO had undertaken a policy that empowered police and as a result they could effectively tackle underground gambling.
He said IC boards for gambling machines, priced at about Bt100,000 each, were smuggled into Thailand. He added that on many occasions, the slot machines’ valuable IC boards were removed before police raids.
