EDITORIAL
Reform of the gambling law long overdue
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Preventing addiction to gambling, and the crime that stems from it, must involve education, appropriate legislation and the provision of rehabilitation for addicts

The perpetrator of a recent gold-shop robbery turned out to be a 34-year-old technical-college teacher who was indebted because of gambling. He subsequently committed suicide.

According to his suicide note, he was forced by men working for his creditor to rob the gold shop in Nan to repay his debt. The man hanged himself at his Sukhothai home after his supervisor at the college recognised him from security-camera images taken during the heist.

This might be a small piece of news - yet another personal disaster caused by a gambling habit - but there are more and more cases like this, in which desperate people are forced to commit crimes in order to repay big gambling debts.

In a 2011 survey by Chulalongkorn University's Social Research Institute, more than 64 per cent of the 5,000 respondents in 16 provinces admitted to gambling over the past year, and 63 per cent said they had gambled while young, the youngest at age seven.

The underground lottery is the most popular form of gambling among Thais, with an estimated 19.9 million regular participants. This is followed by the official government lottery (19.2 million players), casino-style gambling (3.1 million), and gambling on football (1.1 million). In 2010 an estimated Bt102 billion was spent on the underground lottery, Bt76.7 billion on the government lottery, Bt46.3 billion in casinos, and Bt38 billion on football, according to Chulalongkorn University's Centre for Gambling Studies.

Older people tend to prefer the lotteries, while gamblers on football are younger, according to the centre. People aged 35 to 54 constitute more than 57 per cent of those who play the

lotteries regularly. In football gambling, 37 per cent of the gamblers are aged 25-34 and another 36 per cent are 24 or under. This is in line with the results of a 2010 study by Dhurakij Pundit University, which found that most football gamblers are students and company employees.

Many people are casual or social gamblers, but others are addicted and become pathological gamblers who need rehabilitation. In the latter group, the habit can severely affect the lives of others, including family members. Pathological gambling often leads to higher household debt and strained family ties.

Indebted gamblers are often harassed by creditors who want their money back. In extreme cases the gambler is told to choose between repayment or death. This is why some gamblers turn to crime in order to get quick money. Some carry out armed robberies of banks or gold shops, while some cheat their employers or customers.

Lax enforcement of the law and police corruption are often cited as reasons for the worsening problem of illegal gambling. Now there are more calls for reform of the 78-year-old Gambling Act of 1935, which was last amended in 1962. Critics say the ageing law can no longer cope with the latest technology and other developments in the gambling industry, and the legal penalties do not discourage offenders.

The relevant authorities need to put more resources into educational measures to prevent young people from gambling, and to make sure that addicted gamblers get proper rehabilitation. Unfortunately, we have to place our hopes on officials who have not already benefited from illegal gambling.


-- The Nation 2013-08-22

Unfortunately, we have to place our hopes on officials who have not already benefited from illegal gambling.

So it's a forgone conclusion then that nothing will change.

A fantastic report summed up in 16 words.

They could always legalize it, regulate it, and tax it. Casinos in Vegas or Macau dont force people to rob stores to get their money. But like most other things in life, if a some of the population cant handle their responsibilities then the rest of the population must lose rights, privileges, and/or freedoms.

I certainly agree that serious changes should be made to Thai gambling laws. Gambling is a national addiction, with the ill results all too apparent. I suggest copying the gambling laws and practices of western countries. However, the profits from this business reach long and deep, as has been said before. Thus a disincentive to change.

Too many vested interests and too much uncountable money involved.

Just ask a certain obnoxious, arrogant, senior 'politician' whose name begins with the letter...

Work it out.

Unfortunately, we have to place our hopes on officials who have not already benefited from illegal gambling.

So it's a forgone conclusion then that nothing will change.

A fantastic report summed up in 16 words.

Unfortunately, we have to place our hopes on officials who have not already benefited from illegal gambling.

There are some???? No way!!! lol

In British Columbia Canada they have booths in the malls where a person can purchase tickets for several different legal lotteries. Plus a multitude of scratch and win.

I was talking to a friend one day who worked in one and she told me it was a crying shame to see the numnber of older people spending their retirement money on the chance of the big strike.

Gambeling is an addiction. Laws will not stop the addict. The money put into trying to stop the gambeling would be better placed in treatment for the gambler.

In Washington state I noticed that many of the places where they sold tickets had a little stand you could fill in the numbers on your cards or scratch your scratch and wins. They also had a phone number for Gamblers Anonymous.

Edited August 22, 201312 yr by hellodolly

As much as I dislike the Man In Dubai, one good thing he did was legalize the three digit lottery and thus take it out of the hands of the mafia. There are some people that believe the coup was all about that. The mafia wanted the three digit lottery disbanded, and indeed that was one of the first things the coup government did.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Unfortunately, we have to place our hopes on officials who have not already benefited from illegal gambling.

So it's a forgone conclusion then that nothing will change.

A fantastic report summed up in 16 words.

17

If you think it's bad now.................

If they ever legalized slot machines in Thailand it would be devastating for so many people. There's something about the Thai mentality that would see people being wiped out financially daily.

Could you imagine having a slot machine shop in Pattaya? You'd be a millionaire in a week.

Good for the shop owner, a calamity for everyone else. In this case prohibition is better in my opinion. The consequences of opening up the gambling market here would be devastating. Even if people were gambling on licensed premises, they would still turn to loan sharks to cover their debts and the spiral would go on.

I say better left alone.

Too many vested interests and too much uncountable money involved.

Just ask a certain obnoxious, arrogant, senior 'politician' whose name begins with the letter...

Work it out.

Wow that's a pretty big list. If you can give us the first letter I bet I can guess it.

You're comment is probably fairly accurate though.

What crap. You can no more stop Thais from gambling than you can to stop them from fleecing foreigners. It's in their blood. A law won't change that.