Bangkok: Police have arrested four suspects and shut down two major illegal live-streaming networks for broadcasting foreign soccer matches, including the World Cup and Premier League, while promoting illicit gambling websites.
According to Thai News Agency, the joint operation, named "Operation VAR," was conducted alongside copyright holders Jasmine International PCL (JAS) and Mono Next PCL (MONO), operators of the MONOMAX platform. Police raided targets in Petchabun, Samut Sakhon, and Udon Thani provinces, arresting four individuals, including two programmers and website administrators. Authorities seized computers, mobile phones, servers, and 480,000 baht in cash.
Investigators found that the websites, "dookeela4.live" and "soodaza.com," embedded numerous gambling banner advertisements. The networks drew up to 380,000 peak viewers per match, generating 300,000 to 2 million baht per month in advertising revenue from online gambling networks. Authorities estimated the economic damage to legitimate copyright holders at over 100 million baht (about $3 million) per month.
The suspects face charges of jointly organizing, advertising, or persuading others to engage in unauthorized electronic gambling. Representatives from the copyright holders stated that the English Premier League has issued an official letter of appreciation to Thai authorities following the crackdown.