Strong public reaction to proposal on legalising casinos in Thailand

[rametindallas]

I know the situation in Thailand. Casinos would be a new enterprise and a good opportunity for this new regime to show it can do things differently.

It seems you are overlooking the fact that the Royal Thai Police haven't been reformed yet so I fail to see how "this new regime to show it can do things differently." considering it has to have the cooperation of the same old police

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Edited June 20, 2015 by rametindallas

[newnative]

If you oppose everything because there is likely to be some corruption nothing would be built or get done in Thailand. Gee, a subway in Bangkok would be great but we better not build it because there is likely to be corruption in the concrete contract and the rails contract, etc. I imagine there will be some corruption with casinos, as well, but the benefits make it worth doing in my opinion.

[Oziex1]

If you oppose everything because there is likely to be some corruption nothing would be built or get done in Thailand. Gee, a subway in Bangkok would be great but we better not build it because there is likely to be corruption in the concrete contract and the rails contract, etc. I imagine there will be some corruption with casinos, as well, but the benefits make it worth doing in my opinion.

Building subways whether budget money gets skimmed or not still provide a worthwhile piece of infrastructure.

Casinos can provide entertainment and bring in some foreign income, but do the social problems make them worthwhile?

[MB1]

I worked three years at a casino. Its number one function was to make money for its owner. Its number two function was to launder illegally earned cash money. Five dollar slot machines pay back 99.5% so you drop 10,000 dollars into five dollar slot machines (with the help of aunties and cousins), get most of it back and pay tax on your 9,000 dollar 'winnings'. What was drug money in the morning is clean money by evening. Since the casino does not keep track of how much drug money you lost to get the winnings you paid tax on, the law enforcement can't prove that you get your income from illicit enterprise. Now the politicians won't have to lie and say how well they saved or invested to explain their unusual wealth, they can soon claim they 'won' it at the casino. No more using monks to transport your illegal income offshore; it's laundered so you can keep it close to you in Thailand. This will be a boon to corrupt officials, politicians, policemen, and soldiers as they can soon launder their own money.

Another negative, gambling tourists tend to never leave the venue where they gamble. The don't go on tours or go shopping; they gamble. Good luck, with all the cash involved in gambling, for the state to collect anywhere near the share that it is owed. Never mind, the head of whatever casino watchdog organization will get his cut.

Thirdly, gambling is a tax on stupidity since almost everyone loses every time.

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your arguments do not add up, if the payback is 99.5%. I think you are talking out of your bottom half

It's plastered on advertising billboards that $5 slots (not every game in the casino) return 99.5% of the money put in them. It doesn't say the payout money is spread out evenly. Have you even been to a casino? They make their money on five cent, quarter dollar, and dollar slots.

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So it now seems to me you now concede that someone putting $10,000 into a $5 slot machine could come away with nothing and could theoretically put $100,000 dollars into a $5 slot machine and still go home with nothing, that's not good for someone trying to launder money hey....Little old lady could theoretically play on slot after money launderer did, put twenty dollars in and walk of with $10,000 dollars or even a lot more..... Do you now understand what I was trying to say earlier in the topic but you tried to blind me with your 3 years experience of working in a casino...

Edited June 26, 2015 by MB1