Thailand: Activist Says He Didn’t Bet Donations on Boxing as Police Probe Betting Network
- Thai activist Atchariya Ruangrattanapong denies every charge against him in a police investigation into online Muay Thai betting, and says the transactions police are examining have legitimate explan…
- On October 5, 2026, while being taken to court, he denied using donations for boxing bets and said he could explain the transactions in his personal account.
- Cybercrime police arrested Atchariya on Saturday, October 3, near the Om Noi boxing stadium in Samut Sakhon province, under a Criminal Court warrant issued the day before, Asia Gaming Brief reported.
Thai activist Atchariya Ruangrattanapong denies every charge against him in a police investigation into online Muay Thai betting, and says the transactions police are examining have legitimate explanations.
On October 5, 2026, while being taken to court, he denied using donations for boxing bets and said he could explain the transactions in his personal account. Bangkok’s Criminal Court later refused him bail that day. The 59-year-old chairs the Crime Victims Assistance Club, which he founded in 2009, according to Asia Gaming Brief.
How the case began
Cybercrime police arrested Atchariya on Saturday, October 3, near the Om Noi boxing stadium in Samut Sakhon province, under a Criminal Court warrant issued the day before, Asia Gaming Brief reported. He faces charges of public fraud, money laundering, illegal electronic betting on boxing and offenses under the Computer Crime Act.
Police say the case grew out of a March raid on an online Muay Thai betting operation, and that tracing its money led them to Atchariya and his club’s accounts.
Police allege that money donated to the club was moved into his personal account and used to bet on boxing, the Thai newspaper Daily News reported.
Bail refused
On October 5, the court approved an initial 12-day remand, or pretrial custody, covering October 5 to 16. Investigators said they still needed to question witnesses and review financial records.
Police opposed bail, arguing that he could interfere with evidence. In refusing it, the court cited the seriousness of the allegations and said there was reason to believe he might flee or interfere with evidence if released, Daily News reported.
What the numbers mean
The figures in this case measure different things. Police stressed that the account totals are overall movements rather than established gambling proceeds. Asia Gaming Brief reported on October 5 that no court had ruled those sums were criminal proceeds. Police said they are concentrating on the 212 flagged transactions.
| Figure | What police say it covers |
|---|---|
| More than 1 billion baht (about $29.6 million, per Asia Gaming Brief) | Alleged turnover of the wider betting network |
| 212 transactions worth more than 40 million baht | Transactions police say link Atchariya to accounts found in the gambling probe |
| 1,196 transactions worth more than 191 million baht | Reported movements through his personal account |
| 5,140 transactions worth more than 168 million baht | Reported movements through the club’s account |
Source: Asia Gaming Brief, October 5, 2026, reporting police findings.
His side of the story
Asked by reporters whether donations had gone into boxing bets, he replied, “Not true,” Daily News reported. He also said the club’s account had been closed since 2022 and that he might be the target of a setup.
He has also said the club’s account was separate from his personal finances, Asia Gaming Brief reported. A deputy police spokesman rejected suggestions of harassment, saying the case flowed from the March raids and the financial evidence found since. The allegations remain contested, and the remand and bail decisions do not establish guilt.
Featured image: Rajadamnern Stadium in Bangkok in November 2022. Illustrative image; not connected to the case. Photo: DiverDave / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
