Ten foreigners were arrested when caught illegally playing poker at a rented house on Koh Phangan in Surat Thani province on Tuesday night.
The raided house was known as “Golden Moon” and was in Koh Phangan district, Pol Lt Col Winit Boonchit, chief of the Tourist Police Division 5, said on Wednesday.
Police sent to the scene found many motorbikes parked outside the house, he said. They monitored actiivity inside the premises through a gap in the curtains, and made video recordings for use as evidence, before entering the house and making the arrests.
Six Russians, a Romanian, an Israeli, a German and a Briton were caught sitting around a long table covered with green cloth. On the table were cards, poker chips and an automatic card shuffler.
A Russian man, identified as Anton Kozko, 36, was allegedly the tenant and the organiser of the gambling, Pol Lt Col Winit said. He was holding about 134,000 baht in cash in a waist bag.
Mr Kozko allegedly admitted he had invited his foreign companions to the house, which he rented for 30,000 baht a month.
The suspects were charged with engaging in illegal gambling to earn money. Mr Kozko also faces a charge of hosting gambling activity.
They were handed to Koh Phangan police station for further legal proceedings, Pol Lt Col Winit said.
Source: Bangkok Post