Thai police have arrested around 6,500 people including 250 bookmakers on charges related to illegal gambling since the football World Cup kicked off on 15 June, authorities said on Monday.
The crackdown follows the establishment of a temporary center in May targeting World Cup gambling, with police now considering turning the center into a permanent facility.
In total around 28 million baht (US$845,000) has been confiscated.
A recent study by Chulalongkorn University’s Research Center for Business and Social Development found that around 2.5 million Thais are involved in gambling on football in some way.
