Thailand Detains Gambling Boss Pei Min Si During April 9 Pattaya Raid

(AsiaGameHub) –   Thai police have detained Pei Min Si following a dawn raid in Pattaya on April 9. Officials connected him to the Shwe Kokko online gambling network and acted pursuant to a warrant request from the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok.

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Good to Know

• Pei Min Si was apprehended by police at a Pattaya hideout on April 9.
• Officials have associated the network with 239 distinct channels and upwards of 330,000 active participants.
• According to investigators, the enterprise has produced THB13.18 billion in revenue since 2016.

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Thailand Arrest Brings Shwe Kokko Network Back into Spotlight

This apprehension brings a protracted case back into the spotlight. The Chiang Rai Times identified Pei as “a key figure” within Myanmar’s illicit iGaming sector, with investigators connecting the broader enterprise to over 239 channels and more than 330,000 active users spanning 31 Chinese provinces.

Since online gambling is prohibited in China and legal land-based casino gaming is restricted to Macau, this clarifies why Beijing maintains pressure on cases involving cross-border betting groups located near Myanmar’s border regions.

According to authorities, Pei has been a fugitive since May 2024, when he exited Thailand for Laos using a Chinese passport. In August 2025, he reportedly re-entered Thailand utilizing a “golden passport” from St. Kitts and Nevis.

This pathway to citizenship has previously attracted criticism. St. Kitts and Nevis’s citizenship-by-investment program enables applicants to obtain nationality via a donation of at least $250,000, the acquisition of private real estate worth no less than $600,000, or an investment of a minimum $325,000 in an approved project.

Police indicate that cost was likely not an impediment. Since 2016, officials have connected the gambling ring to a turnover of THB13.18 billion (approximately $409.8 million) and profits nearing THB2.4 billion.

The Shwe Kokko group continues to be pivotal to the case. Myanmar has stated it is cracking down on illicit iGaming and cyber fraud in the border region, an area frequently labeled as the scam hub of Myanmar. During recent operations, police confiscated and dismantled 3,300 computers and almost 22,000 mobile phones purportedly utilized for placing online wagers.

However, external scrutiny remains. The New York Times characterized these raids as “performative,” suggesting the Myanmar military junta employed them to alleviate pressure from Beijing instead of dismantling the broader criminal infrastructure.

Chinese officials regard the issue as part of a significantly broader criminal landscape. Legal cases associated with these networks frequently intersect with kidnapping, forced labor, telecommunications fraud, drug manufacturing, and narcotics distribution. In February, China executed 11 individuals from the Ming family in Myanmar following their convictions for telecom fraud, drug trafficking, and murder.