Thai police get tough on World Cup gambling; threaten dismissal of involved officers

BANGKOK, June 12 (TNA) -- In an attempt to curb gambling in Thailand on the World Cup which opened Friday in South Africa, police in cooperation with the Information and Communication Technology Ministry have already blocked 248 gambling websites, both local and foreign servers, and threatened that any police found involved in or acting as bookmakers will be sacked from the police force.

A special investigation centre gathering evidence on betting on the World Cup, which ends July 11, has been set up at the Metropolitan Police Bureau, while police technology experts on gambling websites are assigned to the office.

Bangkok police have been ordered to stay away from the betting or act as bookies and, if caught, they would be dealt with severely, being penalised with termination from service in the police department.

So far police in cooperation with the ministry closed 248 gambling websites on Wednesday and Thursday.

An anti-gambling activist group on Friday submitted an open letter to acting national police chief Pol Gen Pateep Tanprasert urging police to suppress football gambling dens nationwide, especially those located near educational centres.

They also advocate tough law enforcement against defendants, punishment of police officers who act as bookies or are involved in gambling, and are pressing for the closing of all football gambling websites.

Pol Gen Panupong Singhara Na Ayutthaya, national police chief adviser, admitted that suppressing football betting online is quite difficult because server networks are located overseas.

However, the Royal Thai Police has cooperated with the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology in closing websites found to be involved in betting, Gen Panupong said. (TNA)