Phuket police raid Russian poker den in villa

2026-02-12 - 08:26

PHUKET — 12 February 2026, Police on the southern Thai island of Phuket have raided an alleged illegal Russian-run poker den operating from a luxury villa and arrested nine foreign nationals, officials said. Investigators from Chalong Police Station said they discovered an online advertisement on Instagram under the account name “Poker Level”, written in Russian, inviting foreigners to join poker games in Rawai subdistrict of Muang district, Phuket. Police said those interested were required to follow a link on Instagram and make contact via WhatsApp. Only foreign nationals were accepted, authorities said. The games involved gambling for property, with bets placed in Thai baht and cryptocurrency. Participants were required to pay an entry fee of 20,000 baht per session before joining the games, which were allegedly held clandestinely inside a luxury villa in Rawai. On 11 February 2026, police received information that another gambling session was due to take place. Officers conducted surveillance around the property and reported seeing lights on inside and a group of people clearly engaged in playing poker. Police then entered the premises, searched the property and arrested nine suspects — seven Russian nationals, one Ukrainian national and one Kazakh national. Authorities seized cash, a gambling table, playing cards, cash-value chips and electronic devices including mobile phones and computers. Police said the devices would be examined to expand the investigation, including tracing financial transactions and gathering digital evidence. The suspects were charged with organising gambling (poker) for property without permission under Section 12 of the Gambling Act, and with jointly participating in illegal gambling for property. All nine suspects were handed over to investigators for further legal proceedings, police said.