MP Chuwit To Inspect Phuket 'Gambling Dens' In Person

[webfact]

MP Chuwit to inspect Phuket ‘gambling dens’ in person

PHUKET: -- MP Chuwit Kamolvisit will visit Phuket this Thursday and Friday to personally verify whether or not the information he has received about major gambling dens operating in Phuket is true.

Deputy Commissioner Pisun Chuladilok of Provincial Police Region 8 headquarters, based in Surat Thani, announced the news at a press conference at the Tah Chat Chai police checkpoint today.

Maj Gen Pisun also took the opportunity to dismiss MP Chuwit’s allegations as unfounded.“All the major gambling dens in Phuket were shut down long before Mr Chuwit even made his allegations, since myself and the Commander of Phuket Provincial Police went to check and control the areas [identified by MP Chuwit as hotbeds for gambling] already,” he said.

However, Maj Gen Pisun warned Phuket police to make sure there were no gambling operations in their respective areas.“I have notified all Phuket police stations to carefully check and to not allow any gambling dens to open in their areas.

If I find out that a Superintendent at any police station has ignored this [warning] or is involved in a gambling den, I will levy a serious penalty.“Some superintendents have already been transferred out of Phuket,” said Maj Gen Pisun.

In his allegations, MP Chuwit was specific in describing the areas where he said gambling dens were still operating in Phuket, including at Tiger Discotheque in Patong as well as in Chalong, in Thung Thong in Kathu District, and in the vicinity of the Siam Commercial Bank in Phuket City.

However, after a police raid of Tiger Discotheque on March 28 failed to reveal any gambling operations there, Tiger Group management said they were considering taking legal action against MP Chuwit.Mr Chuwit, who is renowned for himself being a former massage parlor tycoon, also alleged that a gambling den in Thung Thong raked in up to 70 million baht a month.

In his highly televised allegations, he also alleged that high-ranking police officers were paid off so that both venues were allowed to continue to operating.

Source: http://www.facebook....uketGazette.net

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-04-10

[Valentine]

And around the merry go round they go as once again plenty of advance warning. I respectfully suggest the police do not make any public announcements about raids etc until after the event. This is the easy part but controlling insider advance warnings will be more difficult.

[madmitch]

And around the merry go round they go as once again plenty of advance warning. I respectfully suggest the police do not make any public announcements about raids etc until after the event. This is the easy part but controlling insider advance warnings will be more difficult.

It is unbelievable that they announce this. It really is as if they don't really want to catch anybody to prove that Phuket (or any other place in Thailand come to that) is clean of illegal gambling dens, It;s a win-win as Chuwit will claim he has cleaned up and those that control the dens will be back in business as soon as he is out of town.

Also, is Songkran Day really the best time for this 'inspection'?

[upena]

Chuwit announced this 2 weeks ago - the gambling dens are now empty warehouses.

[Gillespie]

When he's done that, maybe he should check out the brothels that are rumoured to exist.

[Chris Lawrence]

Best thing to do is legalise gambling. The pitfalls are already there for many; legalising gambling would probably assist in reducing illegal operations as the legal operators wont want their monies being taken from them. A % of gambling monies could also be used back in the community as community development grants. There is also more money to help problem gamblers. A couple of big casino's in LOS would also boost tourisim.

All gambling is offering at the moment is short change to a blind eye.

Legalising gambling has potential problems, but it generates so much in taxes that there should be enough money there to help preople with problems. This help at present is not there, and the police resource is being wasted in failed searches or searches to uncover pocket money.

To solve this conundrum one could keep going around in circles or make a decision to tax the profits.

Just a thought?

[TeddyFlyfisherDavis]

And around the merry go round they go as once again plenty of advance warning. I respectfully suggest the police do not make any public announcements about raids etc until after the event. This is the easy part but controlling insider advance warnings will be more difficult.

It is unbelievable that they announce this. It really is as if they don't really want to catch anybody to prove that Phuket (or any other place in Thailand come to that) is clean of illegal gambling dens, It;s a win-win as Chuwit will claim he has cleaned up and those that control the dens will be back in business as soon as he is out of town.

Also, is Songkran Day really the best time for this 'inspection'?

I said the same thing...What gambling dens...hahahahaha

[khaowong1]

If you think that by legalizing gambling is going to make everything cozy, think again. Just because these gambling dens would be licensed does not mean they would necessarily be paying any taxes. As any good accountant knows, theres always ways from showing any profits on the books. Las Vegas, Atlantic City, even Hollywood movie productions have learned how to cook the books to keep the taxes at a minimum and in some cases 0.

Edited April 10, 2012 by khaowong1

[Payboy]

identified by MP Chuwit as hotbeds for gambling

This guy knows all about beds for sure.

[louse1953]

Best thing to do is legalise gambling. The pitfalls are already there for many; legalising gambling would probably assist in reducing illegal operations as the legal operators wont want their monies being taken from them. A % of gambling monies could also be used back in the community as community development grants. There is also more money to help problem gamblers. A couple of big casino's in LOS would also boost tourisim.

All gambling is offering at the moment is short change to a blind eye.

Legalising gambling has potential problems, but it generates so much in taxes that there should be enough money there to help preople with problems. This help at present is not there, and the police resource is being wasted in failed searches or searches to uncover pocket money.

To solve this conundrum one could keep going around in circles or make a decision to tax the profits.

Just a thought?

You want to bet that taxes go back to the poor.They go to consolidated revenue and are lost for ever,pork barreling near election time etc,the same as the west

[blackthorn2005]

This is good planning, he comes for a holiday, when the bars re-open. I hope he remembers to bring plenty of his graft for the casinos!

[Chris Lawrence]

Best thing to do is legalise gambling. The pitfalls are already there for many; legalising gambling would probably assist in reducing illegal operations as the legal operators wont want their monies being taken from them. A % of gambling monies could also be used back in the community as community development grants. There is also more money to help problem gamblers. A couple of big casino's in LOS would also boost tourisim.

All gambling is offering at the moment is short change to a blind eye.

Legalising gambling has potential problems, but it generates so much in taxes that there should be enough money there to help preople with problems. This help at present is not there, and the police resource is being wasted in failed searches or searches to uncover pocket money.

To solve this conundrum one could keep going around in circles or make a decision to tax the profits.

Just a thought?

You want to bet that taxes go back to the poor.They go to consolidated revenue and are lost for ever,pork barreling near election time etc,the same as the west

2.5% from casino and clubs in OZ is given to charities. I got half a worker one year and a house full of furniture. The half worker has now been going on for 8 years. We also got more over time as the clubs and local govt. administering the monies found out how the money was being used and the bonus to our success rate this donation helped our target group and the local community.

Just to say it doesnt work, to say that monies are channelled else where; you may not have a good understanding of how some other systems work. It all depends on the model adopted if gambling was made legal and % of funds to be put back into the community.