Thai police raided a casino allegedly linked to cross-border scams in Cambodia.

Officers stormed the commercial building in Chonburi following a tip-off about Thai and Chinese nationals moving slot machines into the premises.

Footage shows police uncovering the suspected gambling equipment in the under-construction casino.

Authorities said they seized 49 slot machines, two transmitters, and several electronics.

A Chinese national and a Thai national were arrested at the scene and taken in for questioning. The Chinese man reportedly arranged the transportation while the Thai suspect hired manpower to move the machines.

Police Colonel Khomsan Khamtunkaew, superintendent of Sattahip Police Station, said: 'We believe that they escaped from a neighbouring country and were preparing to set up a base to commit offences in Thailand. Fortunately, a civilian provided information that led to this arrest.'

Gambling is illegal in China. However, the ban has given rise to a flourishing offshore gaming industry based in neighbouring Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, and the Philippines.

This week, Chinese gambling kingpin She Zhijiang, 43, was extradited to China for allegedly running a lucrative gambling complex in Shwe Kokko, Myanmar. Washington has called the village 'a resort city custom-built for gambling, drug trafficking, prostitution, and scams targeting people around the world.'

Beijing is stepping up crackdowns on scam compounds in lawless Myanmar and neighbouring Cambodia, amid international pressure from developed countries.

Border areas between Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia have become hubs for online fraud since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The United Nations reports that billions of dollars have been generated from the trafficking of hundreds of thousands of people forced to work in these compounds.