Police close down online soccer gambling sites

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Bangkok – The Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) has conducted a raid on a gambling den operating an illegal online soccer gambling site in Bangkok.

Deputy chief of the MPB Pol. Maj. Gen. Panurat Lakboon, led the raiding team and arrested suspects running the site FIFAGOAL.com, which is an affiliated site of FIFA55.com.

The arrest was made at a townhome in the Gusto Grand Ramkhamhaeng village in Saphan Sung district of the capital. Police were able to apprehend eight people and confiscated three personal computers, ten computer monitors, three laptops, 16 mobile phones and a board containing plans to promote the illegal website. The apprehended are now awaiting further legal proceedings.

The site has attracted more than 900 regular gamblers monthly, with an average of 50 new subscribers. Police speculated that the numbers would continue to rise as the World Cup approaches, while pointing out that the establishment had a combined cash circulation of about 500,000 baht daily or 15 million baht monthly.

Investigation also revealed that the site, which has been operating through a Thai server for over eight months, was part of an international crime syndicate and has already profited by approximately 120 million baht.