BANGKOK, June 13 — The Royal Thai police said that football gambling has already been reported in Bangkok and other provinces, even as the first match of the World Cup 2014 between Brazil and Croatia kicked off.
Royal Thai Police deputy commissioner Pol Gen Ake Angsananond said 58 suspects have been arrested in Bangkok and other major cities, for football gambling yesterday, following the first match of the World Cup 2014.
O the total, he said, 33 were found in areas under the supervision of the Metropolitan Police Bureau.
Pol Ake said police would now beef up measures against football gambling, by inspecting entertainment venues and restaurants providing free viewing of football matches to certify there are no activities that stimulate gambling, while also closely monitoring online football gambling websites for further movement.
The authorities have now shut down 391 websites believed to have been instigating football gambling, said the deputy commissioner, adding that the police would also add the charges of money laundering to the webmasters of the sites to ensure stronger punishments.
Meanwhile, the World Cup 2014 fever in Thailand is at high pitch, and the Phuket Post Office has redecorated its office to welcome the World Cup season and has started sellng 2 million postcards for the public to guess the winner of this year’s World Cup and a chance to win Bt40 million.
