Police raided a Miss Universe team for allegedly promoting casinos that are banned in Thailand.

The Metropolitan Police Bureau launched an investigation on Monday following a complaint from Nawat Itsaragrisil, chair of the Miss Universe Thailand Host Committee.

The pageant official claimed that the Miss Universe Organisation (MUO) instructed beauty queens to film promotional content for a Philippine online gambling website, which is illegal in Thailand.

Pointing to an advertisement for online casino Playtime, he said: 'They didn't tell us, but this one is an online casino. It's illegal.'

Police Lieutenant General Siam Boonsom of the Metropolitan Police Bureau sent police to the Chatrium Hotel Riverside hotel in Bangkok to probe the report.

Investigators reportedly found Miss Universe Philippines Ahtisa Manalo holding a pillow bearing the casino's logo.

Nawat claimed the MUO, headed by President Raul Rocha Cantu, had approved the sponsor without his knowledge.

Miss Universe Thailand has denied involvement, saying Playtime was not an officially contracted sponsor.

It said in a statement: 'Following the recent incident during the 74th Miss Universe Thailand event, it has come to our attention that the MUO has promoted one of its sponsors associated with online casinos, an activity that is strictly illegal under Thai law.

'As the official host of the 74th Miss Universe Thailand, Miss Grand International Public [Co. Ltd. hereby clarifies that the Company has no involvement whatsoever with such activities or any form of publicity related to online casinos. The said promotion was carried out solely by the MUO.'

Police said an initial report has been filed and further investigation was ongoing to determine if Playtime was operating as an illegal online casino.