129 Thai Online Gambling Workers Repatriated From Laos
129 Thai Online Gambling Workers Repatriated From Laos
NONG KHAI, 19 September 2026 — Lao authorities have repatriated 129 Thai nationals, including 57 women, following a crackdown on online gambling and cybercrime networks in Vientiane, with Thai investigators finding that the group had worked as administrators for 11 online gambling websites.
The group was handed over to Thai authorities at the First Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge in Nong Khai at around 2 p.m. on September 17 after Lao authorities completed legal proceedings against them.
Thai immigration officers, Nong Khai police and officials from the Thai Embassy in Vientiane received the group before they were taken for screening by a multidisciplinary team.
Initial screening found no apparent victims of human trafficking, people who had been deceived into the work or individuals wanted under arrest warrants, according to Thai authorities.
Worked for 11 Gambling Websites
Investigators found that the 129 Thais had travelled to Laos to work as administrators for 11 online gambling websites, earning between approximately 15,000 and 21,000 baht per month.
Thai authorities said the workers stayed at several hotels in Vientiane while carrying out their work. Local reporting identified two hotels as workplaces for the 11 gambling operations.
The workers reportedly operated in two 12-hour shifts, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
Lao authorities detained the group for working without permission and for involvement in online gambling-related employment. After the Lao legal process was completed, they were returned to Thailand for further proceedings.
14 Had Already Been Sent Back in May
Among the 129 returnees, Thai authorities identified 14 people who had previously been repatriated from Laos through Nong Khai on May 21.
Investigators said those 14 later crossed back into Laos through unofficial routes and returned to similar online-gambling work.
Authorities also identified another person who had left Thailand through an unofficial route.
As a result, Nong Khai Immigration initiated separate legal proceedings against 15 people for leaving Thailand without passing through an authorised border checkpoint or undergoing immigration inspection.
Part of Wider Regional Crackdown
The repatriation followed Lao authorities’ broader crackdown on online gambling and cybercrime operations in Vientiane.
According to Lao state media, the 129 Thai nationals were arrested during raids on August 28 at the Mangrove Hotel and Golly apartment complex in Xaysettha District, Vientiane. The Lao authorities subsequently transferred them to Thailand under Lao law and bilateral arrangements.
The case highlights the increasingly cross-border nature of online gambling and cybercrime networks in mainland Southeast Asia, with authorities in Thailand and Laos continuing to coordinate on arrests, screening and the return of nationals involved in such operations.
Thai authorities are now proceeding with the relevant legal cases against the returnees under Thai law.
