Belgian man arrested in illegal casino Pattaya
In Pattaya, nine foreigners, including a 73-year-old Belgian man, have been arrested for gambling in an illegal casino, the local newspaper 'Pattaya One' has reported.
They were located in a 2-storey building on Pratamnuk Road in South Pattaya. The police had been eyeing the casino for some time through infiltration and knew that poker was being played for money. This is against Thai law.
Early Sunday morning, the local police raided the illegal gambling hall. There were 9 people in the building at the time. An American (35) would be the organizer of the poker game. Two women from Cambodia have also been arrested. One worked as a hostess and the other as a croupier.
In addition to the Belgian and the Cambodian ladies, those arrested are two Americans aged 67 and 46, an Australian aged 40, a Canadian (57) and a Briton (25). No Thai nationals were involved in the incident.
The police had been aware of the presence of the casino and illegal gambling for some time. Considerable amounts were gambled. The police seized 107.000 baht, 1.771 US dollars and 380 euros, as well as chips and a laptop with the casino's accounts.
Everyone has been arrested and transferred to the police station where they are awaiting arraignment.
It's about the Flemish poker hero Frank de B. And he is one of the most striking figures in the Belgian poker world. Frank is not the typical 20-year-old super genius who calculates the implied odds of all his potential draws before the flop…
Frank is a "broad", striking figure with "a receding hairline" and a quality view of poker. With his holistic approach to his card game, Frank scores amazing success after success in cash games and tournaments from Namur all the way to Las Vegas, Nevada.
His biggest score to date is winning the Pokerstars Hold'em Challenge Spring Edition in 2012 for a total of €47.769. In total, against all odds, Frank has already played around $125,000 in tournaments.
“Illegal casino” ? it is an illegal casino because no “tax” was paid to Mr. Police, plus the organizer is a farang so that is certainly not possible. If the farang had a Thai partner who neatly pays money to “certain” authorities, then nothing would have happened.
Yes, it is an illegal activity here in Thailand, every town or village has 1 or 2 of these illegal casinos, but as long as money is paid to the appropriate authorities (police) and the politics in Bangkok remain calm, there is little or nothing to it. the hand. It is a mafia company so you won't win anyway so it is better to leave it to the Thai people. If the feeling is so bad that you have to gamble, why don't you go to Macau or Singapore, where they have beautiful casinos 2 and 1.5 hours by plane from Bangkok, or at every border crossing in Cambodia, Laos and Burma you have good casinos, you can go right away. do your fishing run.
Very well spotted JM. If you want to play this game you have to do it according to Thai rules. So lubricate everything and everyone and put a Thai in charge of the criminal case. Then there will still be enough hanging on the rod in front of you. If you don't, these Thai gentlemen in their dark brown uniforms wait for the moment when there is a great loot to be picked up and then they will come and have a look at you. All in all, it's illegal - so it's not allowed. But if everything that is not allowed and against Thai law would no longer be present tomorrow, you and I will probably be alone on the street, watching ?… laugh ?. That is why they cannot eliminate corruption from one day to the next. Then within 24 hours Thailand wall will crash.
It's illegal, out. Whether you are Thai or a falang, just stick to the rules and nothing will happen.
I have been working in that industry for many years and as such I can't always contain my curiosity to take a look at a casino where I am currently staying, for example I have just returned from the UK and have visited various casinos or arcades there by just to take a look inside without wanting to play yourself.
Nothing wrong with that, were it not for the fact that gambling is officially strictly prohibited in Thailand, in fact, a simple innocent card game with some change on the table in a bar can already be interpreted as gambling for which one can be fined.
About ten years ago, out of professionalism and as said no less out of curiosity, I visited such an illegal casino somewhere in Bangkok - wouldn't even be able to find it anymore even if it still existed at all - located somewhere in the catacombs of a apparently ordinary office building and then visited it together with the manager of a hotel who liked a gamble where I once stayed who pointed it out to me after I told him in an animated conversation in the lobby that I work in that industry.
The fact that casinos in Thailand are illegal was confirmed all too well, because it cannot be reached just like that, but through an apparently ordinary storage space for all kinds of goods next to the building, then through an ingenious system of corridors, then up or down another staircase, then again with a elevator down which all in all did not help the orientation.
The funny thing is that when we indicated that we wanted to leave, you did find yourself outside again, albeit in a completely different place than where you entered, so once outside, orientation was again called upon. It will probably also have to do so that you can easily flee from fire, but also from a possible raid.
Don't expect 'James Bond'-like scenes of men in tuxedos and women in elegant evening dresses. None of that, but the well-known polo shirts in an unnamed color that is often worn and the oversized football shirts of British top clubs, shorts on slippers or the normal man/woman in the street, the Sjonnies and Anitas of Thailand, it was also remarkable that the number of women was not much less than the men.
Also, the ambiance was not at all reminiscent of a Hollywood movie, no plush but simple plastic chairs, the walls cold and gray except for the well-known portraits and of course a Buddha image but otherwise without any frills, while the Thai love everything whatever is kitschy or whatever is shiny and glittery.
However, the gambling games offered are not inferior to a real casino such as a roulette table and the various card and dice games, however, the popular well-known slot machines also called 'slot machines' were not present.
Once inside, it is expected or actually with a penetrating look by the employees who look at you that you do want to play, just watching and having a drink is not an option. So I spent 10000 baht on it or rather lost it to indicate that I wanted to leave it after more than an hour, which in itself was no problem at all.
Had expected to be searched upon entry which turned out not to be the case and besides that there was a friendly atmosphere, although of course in such occasions appearances can be deceiving as there were male persons walking around who, although at a distance, were still conspicuously present in an emphatic way. 'keep an eye on things' or that type of person you don't want to get into trouble with.
For me it was the first and the last time, not so much because of the money that was lost, but more because, as a farang, I do not want to be arrested in the event of a raid, which always comes as a risk - so being present is already a gambling - with all the unpleasant consequences that can result from participating in an illegal activity, which is therefore formally punishable and it is even better not to mention the associated corruption.
It is true that it is an open secret that the police often know about it by turning a blind eye or, in fact, that the owner or organizer are involved in the conspiracy, but all in all it is not advisable to pay a visit to a illegal casino.
For those who still want to gamble, just cross the border to Cambodia where it is legal, there are quite a few on the Thailand blog who often come to Isan, so it is not difficult to travel from there and the expats can possibly combine it with a visa run.
The fact that gambling is prohibited in Thailand, the neighboring country of Cambodia plays into this usefully, because many casinos are located close to the border for a reason, so it goes without saying that the Cambodian casinos have many Thai visitors.
Incidentally, I think that it will end with a fizzle for the Belgian and the others and that the seized funds will suddenly 'disappear' like snow in the sun…