SURVEY: Is it time to legalize gambling?

[Scott]

With the recent increase in Covid cases, there have been several high profile busts of gambling dens.   In your opinion, is it time for Thailand to allow some form of legalized gambling other than the State Lottery?

 

Please feel free to leave a comment.

[pegman]

No, no, no! Gambling causes huge problems. Before COVID Thailand had >40m foreign tourists already. This would just make a few rich people richer and lots of poorer people bankrupt. Thailand already needed to bring in 100's of thousands of migrants in to cover shortfalls in the workforce. 

[Enzian]

I have a favorite walk through a shantytown in Bangkok, and there are often small groups gambling. One night I saw one of the BIB taking part in a group; he was likely a relative or at least friend of the others. So there is an informal system, so leave it at that. IMO the big places should be shut down, they spread criminality, but no one tells the police what to do or not do, so it will take more crises before anything will happen.

[bdenner]

No - Aren't the BiB finding it hard enough now to acquire "Brown Envelopes". Just seen 4 desk bound last week in Rayong. Gotta feel for them (tong in cheek).

[djayz]

Absolutely yes! The state lottery is a form of gambling and that's legal, so why shouldn't other forms of gambling be legal too? These illegal gambling dens already exist and will continue to do so unregulated, so why not make them legal, regulate the activities and tax the profits? The state could do with the extra revenue. 

 

[Surelynot]

Definitely no...not for Thais anyway....open casinos and rake in money from foreigners.....want access? ...bring your non-Thai passport.

 

Run as a non-profit all proceeds go to welfare for poor Thais.

[cyril sneer]

I would say yes but not in Thailand

 

They money they spend on lottery tickets is insane when you look at their income. Too much greed and wanting money for doing nothing.

 

The poor would be even poorer

[Kwasaki]

I would say don't legalize it but continue to overlook a bit of dabbling with card games.

There several places in our village that have gambling set ups, where I have played snooker I see Thais guys playing a totally different game with money put on a side table.

Can't work out the game on how they play it's not snooker. ????

[Andy from Kent]

 

 

Gambling will cause fringe gamblers to lose even more money they don't really have.

 

[ChipButty]

Legalize it, and at the same time turn Phuket into a duty Free Island

[Enzian]

15 minutes ago, Andy from Kent said:

 

 

Gambling will cause fringe gamblers to lose even more money they don't really have.

 

Legal gambling, like the lottery, is a tax on the stupid.

(Becky Quick said something like that on CNBC one night, and Joe Kernan looked at her like You can't say that!)

[OneMoreFarang]

A long time ago I though Thais in high places don't understand that they could legalize gambling and tax it and earn a lot of tax income.

And then I thought again. Where does the money go now? Obviously to the owners of the gambling dens and to all those officials in high places who pretend they don't exist.

Now why would those officials in high places would want to divert the money from their own pockets to the chest with tax money?

Case closed.

[OneMoreFarang]

Maybe someone should explain to Thais that basically nobody who gambles will have more money over time.

I remember a woman in my office who was delighted when the lottery numbers were published and she won 20,000B. Yeah, great news. And then the other people in the office told me that she regularly spends most of her money on buying lottery tickets...

[EVENKEEL]

Thais can't handle gambling. Just like their drinking habits, they don't know how to have a couple, it's either nothing or all out. No to gambling.

[ezzra]

One question, what is gambling good for if not to enrich the owners and the government? it never bring any happiness to anyone even if you win today, you'll put it all back and than some late... 

[Destiny1990]

A couple of 5 star casinos in all the tourist cities with hotels, entertainment restaurants , bars, shows etc 

[Nout]

More authoritarian nanny state imposition. Gambling is legal in most countries. It should be legalized, monitored, controlled and taxed.

[Nout]

3 hours ago, Andy from Kent said:

 

 

Gambling will cause fringe gamblers to lose even more money they don't really have.

 

Gambling is regulated satisfactorily in other countries.

[Virt]

3 hours ago, Enzian said:

Legal gambling, like the lottery, is a tax on the stupid.

(Becky Quick said something like that on CNBC one night, and Joe Kernan looked at her like You can't say that!)

 

Hehe tons of highly intelligent people gamble like crazy, so it's not IQ related. 

 

Gambled quite a lot in my youth and it was mostly for the thrill and kick. 

Poker, black Jack, Mausel, dize, slots you name it... 

 

It's a dangerous road to walk and it's easy to fall, but people that want to gamble will gamble no matter what. 

 

So Thailand might as well legalize and tax the thing, instead of shady types raking in the earnings. 

[lujanit]

Making gambling legal won't close down the card games and the illegal dens.  All it will do is give more opportunity for Thais to loose more money.

[rwill]

I believe Asians have a gene that makes them very likely to have a gambling addiction.  Best to limit exposure to it.

[markcm19]

allow private groups to enjoy some gambling at funerals and such without a fuss, but no casinos

[djayz]

3 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

Thais can't handle gambling. Just like their drinking habits, they don't know how to have a couple, it's either nothing or all out. No to gambling.

There are people in all walks of life who can't handle drink, drugs, gambling, rejection, etc. - it's not uniquely Thai. 

[natway09]

Legal gambling & casinos just break families.

I for one am an ex gambler & I hate to see football & even snooker saturated with gambling syndicates advertising 

(shows how much they make out of them) to entice people to spend their kids lunch money, Mum's allowance & even the mortgage payments on the roll of a dice, dropping of a ball or card dealt.

Broke my heart that at the last casino I was in had banks of ATM's lined up against the wall.

If you have to have them only for bona fide tourists which of course opens up another can of worms

[DefaultName]

Well, obviously I can cope with it, but the rest of you can't be trusted.  ????  That seems to be the general attitude here anyway.

 

No, I've seen the evidence that Thai's don't have the self-control to gamble within limits.  Thay can't walk away from a losing streak.

[ChipButty]

Back in the 60's when in England they legalized betting shops as an apprentice we where building one after the other up and down the country, let me tell you there is only one winner, Thats the owner

[Jaxxper]

Other countries allow gambling, but not from their own nationals. Looking well forward it might be a draw for the Chinese who are big gamblers. The “earnings” would all be foreign income to Thailand.

[RichardColeman]

I do not gamble, but I voted Yes. Simply because Thais already gamble with state lottery anyway. 

 

My own views on gambling is if you want to, then do it, but only what you can afford. I've always collected stuff, it's what I've done with my money after paying my mortgage and bills and used what I have spare - if a person wants to use their spare money on gambling then let them.

 

Would gambling ruin some people's lives- probably. But until Thailand bans alcohol which is constantly abused then I see no difference between a gambling vice and an alcohol vice - certainly less will die from gambling

 

[champers]

Legalise it and drugs and prostitution too while they are at it. So much state money is squandered trying in vain to stop all three. It would be better spent regulating, educating and controlling. Oh, and taxing.

[Pedrogaz]

I am not a gambler myself, but do not like to see others being prohibited from what can be a pleasant pastime. Yes, some gamblers get into trouble by taking loans from usurers (who often run the gambling dens with the local BiB), but why should the whole nation be penalised for a few people who cannot control their habit. We don't say after someone has died in a motorcycle accident: 'ban all motorcycles'.