On Thursday in the city of Rayong, Eastern Thailand Police seized a reputed criminal casino, Kingpin and accused him of murder, reported by Nation Thailand.
According to the local media, the “Gambling King of the East” Somchai “Long Joo’ Jutikitdecha owns an illegal gambling den network. In this region, it is responsible for the surge of Covid-19.
In February, he was arrested for illegal gambling and money laundering charges but later released on bail, only after agreeing to wear on his ankle and electronic tag.
Somchai now accused of giving orders to a taxi motorcyclist who informed about one of his gambling dens police, which prosecutors accuse.
On July 28, 2020, two men shot Partum Sa-adnak (47) behind a school. The suspects claimed that they had a personal quarrel with the victim, which is why they killed Parthum. In Chonburi, Illegal casino photographs were taken by the victim, and the police afterward raid that.
For Pratham’s murder, local police arrested Niphon Panthong and Manas Imam. The suspects killed the victim because of a personal quarrel.
Illegal Casinos Padded to Covid
In December, Covid-19’s second wave epicenter of Thailand’s was Rayong. The health officials said that cockfights and crowded illegal casinos are the cause to spread Covid-19 across the city, and many linked to Somchai.
Police raided ten locations when Somchai got arrested. Moreover, on Thursday in Rayong, Chanthaburi, Chonburi and Bangkok, different 21 places raided by the police.
Except betting on horse racing and lottery, in Thailand, wagering is illegal. But the statistics show that in Thailand, the population is 70 million, and almost half of the people do gamble regularly by illicit means.
Authorized Casino on Prospect
At the very least, a conversation starts about the authorized casino because of the link between Covid-19 mass and gambling den.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha spoke about the issue of authorized casinos in January. He said that to curb an illegal gaming problem, he would consider a proposal to authorize a spiraling casino out of control.
Without casino gaming in ASEAN nations, Thailand is one of the three; the other two are Brunei and Indonesia. But the status should change because the country is full of takers from international casino operators.