Police raided a gambling den at an old futsal stadium in Bangkok’s Don Muang district on Saturday, which had been raided and shut down at least 10 times over the past several years.

Superintendent of Don Muang police station, Pol Col Sukrit Mangklasawas, led a team of 30 officers to the gambling den, inside an old futsal stadium on Soi Song Prapha 1, on Saturday evening. Armed with a warrant issued by the Don Muang Kwaeng Court, the team tried to enter the stadium from the gates, but they were boarded up and the premises were surrounded with barbed wire.

As such, some officers had to climb a fence to enter the stadium and cut through several locks to allow backup officers to enter.

The officers found three connected rooms with interiors reinforced with soundproof materials. Inside, they arrested four gamblers along with six others and seized several pieces of gambling equipment.

The den had been raided several times over the past few years alone; the most recent raid took place on Dec 29 last year, when 65 people were arrested. Authorities shut down the den, which was managed by an individual identified as “Amnuay”. He was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison in 2022 for another offence, but is currently out on bail to appeal the case.

The den closed down only to reopen shortly afterwards, with the operator using the down time to renovate the premises. The site was also searched by police on March 27. Investigators seized some gambling equipment, but did not find any gamblers.

Authorities have raided the gambling den at least 10 times. However, it managed to reopen after each closure and continue its operation.