Hundreds of gamblers arrested during WC 2006
The Metropolitan Police arrested 770 suspected football gamblers and seized gambling tickets worth Bt216 million during the World Cup 2006 tournament, deputy city police chief MajGeneral Jes Mongkolhatthi said on Monday.
Jes, who headed a taskforce charged with cracking down on gambling during the tournament, told a press conference yesterday that city police handled 703 cases of football gambling, netting 770 suspects - 132 bookies and 638 punters - from June 9 to July 9. Police seized about Bt570,000 in cash and gambling tickets worth Bt216 million, he said. Police conducted 5,965 sweeps of service establishments to check for gambling on the premises, 2,964 targeted searches based on tips, and 8,124 individual antigambling initiatives such as talking to people about the ills of betting on sports, Jes said. Metropolitan Police Area 4, whose jurisdiction covers Hua Mark, Chokechai, Wang Thong Lang, Lat Phrao, Bang Chan, Prawet, Bueng Kum and Udomsuk police stations, had the most success in its crackdown with 33 bookies nabbed. Gambling was especially heavy in the Hua Mark, Chokechai and Wang Thong Lang neighbourhoods, which are home to many educational institutes, student dormitories and apartments. Metropolitan Police Area 8 rounded up the most suspected punters with 124 people nabbed, Jes said. The Nation
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