Thai police nab 653 on Saturday for World Cup gambling

The suspects had placed a total of 111,000 baht on wager.

The arrests were announced by Pol Lt-General Phanurat Lakboon, who oversees the centre in charge of preventing and suppressing gambling on World Cup matches.

He said on Saturday, six bookmakers and 614 gamblers were arrested for offline gambling, while 33 were arrested for betting online.

The centre has been on the lookout for people placing bets on World Cup matches since November 19, one day before the tournament kicked off last Sunday. Since last Saturday, 3,179 suspects have been arrested for placing bets worth a total of 1.08 million baht. Those arrested include 70 bookmakers and 13 representatives.