Deputy Interior Minister Phonphir Suwannachawee led a special operations team from the Department of Provincial Administration into two large-scale gambling dens in Mueang Chiang Mai on the evening of September 18, after residents complained about the trouble the operations were causing in their neighbourhoods.
The first raid hit “Phatarawan,” tucked into the ground floor of Phatarawan Place on Soi Serm Suk in the Santitham area. Investigators found the space converted into a sprawling hall running hi-lo, fish-shooting machines and baccarat, with a counter at the entrance confiscating phones and patting down players before they were let in.
The second target, “Sri Ping Mueang,” operated out of a single-story building near the Kad Wiang Phing food center on Sri Ping Mueang Road in the Hai Ya area. One entrance, one exit, and guards who took away anyone’s communication devices on the way in. Inside, the game of choice was a dice-based animal guessing game played on a large table, staffed mostly by migrant workers taking bets and paying out to a steady stream of players, Thai and foreign alike, all day long.
The raid followed a tip from the public, after which the Department’s investigation bureau sent a team to survey the area and work undercover until they had enough to move. Both dens, they found, were seriously fortified: dozens of CCTV cameras between them, security staff watching the doors, and operators seen stuffing cash into oversized bags, presumably headed up the chain to whoever was really running things. Staff on site included Cambodian nationals, putting the operation squarely in violation of the 1935 Gambling Act and the 2017 decree on managing foreign worker employment.
Officers moved on both locations simultaneously to cut off any chance of people slipping out the back. In the end, over 100 gamblers were arrested (two of them foreign nationals), along with 14 operators (eight foreign) and four people charged with supporting the operation. Police seized cash and chips totaling more than 2 million baht, along with gambling equipment, circulation account books and rental documents for the properties.
