Kong Salak Plus gambling platform to remain shut, says court
The Criminal Court on Tuesday issued an injunction to shutter the online lottery platform Kong Salak Plus until a final verdict.
The court was responding to a request from the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry for the closure of two Kong Salak Plus websites and mobile app pending a ruling on the ministry’s lawsuit demanding the platform’s permanent closure.
Kong Salak Plus's websites and platform were blocked by the authorities just two days before the February 1 lottery draw, after it had filed a lawsuit in June last year to close Kong Salak Plus and 14 other platforms permanently.
In its decision to issue an injunction, the court reasoned that after the ministry filed a lawsuit for the platform’s closure, Kong Salak Plus still sold overpriced lottery tickets and still failed to block buyers younger than 20 years old.
The court also said that Kong Salak Plus continued advertising via various media, despite the lawsuit, and preferred to pay fines instead.
“Kong Salak Plus is ordered to stop spreading any information via the websites and its mobile platform until a new order is issued,” the court said.
On January 31, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) filed charges against Kong Salak Plus’s CEO Panthawat Nakwisut after they found a cashier's cheque for 53 million baht allegedly given to him by a suspect in an online gambling case.
The crackdown on the popular lottery platform intensified early last month and involved state agencies like the Office of the Consumer Protection Board, the Anti-Money Laundering Office, the Revenue Department, and the DSI.
Kong Salak Plus faces various allegations, such as money laundering, selling overpriced lottery tickets, and involvement with online gambling and illegal businesses.
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