The group opened their office, HK & T (TV and Film) Production, on the Rasa Tower II Building's 12th floor in Soi Phaholyothin 19 - just 40 metres from the CSD head office.

About 50 police officers yesterday raided the place at 10.30am and arrested a 29-year-old Hong Kong man Than Yiu Hung, a 33-year-old Malaysian male Ang Kong Yong and their Thai accomplices - four men and five women for broadcasting baccarat games via a webcam on www.ok2628.com.

The officers also seized five televisions, 16 computers, two closed-circuit cameras, and four baccarat tables. During the raid of the office - leased to a Thai woman Chatduan Maneesawangwong, 37, since September - police found two men in tuxedos dealing cards to the webcams for gamblers to bet via the Internet.

One of the alleged card dealers, Anurak Maneechai, 22, said he had no idea who owned the place as he had just started working there two days ago at Bt400 a day. The two foreigners were teaching him how to deal cards, he said.

Each game attracted around 100 gamblers world-wide and the bets totalled Bt10 million, Anurak told police, adding each game had a one-minute break and gambling went on 24 hours a day.

Metropolitan Police Investiga-tion Centre Superintendent Colonel Phirapong Wongsaman, who led the raid, said following a tip-off, police dispatched undercover officers who discovered the group were operating online gambling.

The group used brokers to lure rich customers who would be given up to Bt1 million in credit, Phirapong said. With the computer programme in place and a password given, the customers could then play. Winnings would be wired to them in a week, he added.

Police would investigate further and issue arrest warrants for the real owner of the gambling den, he said.