Thai police chief unperturbed by negative poll results against legalizing casinos

[coulson]

This guy doesn't want to rustle any feathers before he retires in September............yet insists on taking the limelight with unusual behavior on such controversial issues

Is this also a bad translation or did he actually just say that:

A - the opinion polls don't represent actual opinions?

B - the under-educated farming community should decide about the legalization of Casino's throughout the whole Country? (if they were to get some money out of it)

Edited June 22, 2015 by coulson

[masquerade]

Why should he be fazed, he takes no notice of the outcry that he is the Don of the biggest Asean mafia,

[falangjim]

Somyot Pig Vomit

[DavisH]

Maybe casinos will be restricted to foreigners only, as in Cambodia. That will surely piss off a lot of rich Thai-Chinese:) Or charge them hefty yearly fees. Your average Thai punter would be highly unlikely to go to a casino, especially when they see how heavily the odds are stacked against them.

[oneday]

It's very arrogant to brush aside what the Thai people think, BUT he does make some valid points.

[waza]

Pol Gen Somyot Pumpunmuang has brushed aside all the opinion polls which show most people are against legalizing casinos, saying the polls represent the minority of the people........He suggested all the pollsters to ask the opinions of the farmers about how they think about legalizing casinos if some of the revenues earned would be used to help them.

Thaksin thinks Somyot acts

[Thai at Heart]

Why not have a vote to see if people want them?

[Oziex1]

Could they make it anymore obvious as to where the funds will be flowing. If you thought corruption was bad now; this will add an entirely new realm to the problem.

The police in most countries have way too much power. In Thailand the amount of power awarded to the police is mind boggling.......

These casino's are not gonna be in rows of shop houses like GO GO bars. We are talking about billion(s) dollar gambling complexes. Most likely a big Vegas outfit.

I kind of doubt some cop is gonna come rollin up on his scooter looking for some extortion money at one of these casino's.

No he won't come rolling in on a scooter he will be in a suit driving a black Mercedes, he will also have his personal assistants with him.

In reality he wont have to as they will be in with the Casino owners as these Casinos should they go ahead, will serve one major purpose for senior RTP Money Laundering of the ill gotten from all their other "Business's"

[WayneS]

This would be one of the largest developments Thailand will see. The big Casino operators will invest 5 billion USD or more to secure a casino here. They would pay a billion just for the license. It is a game changer for Thailand. The flow on effect would be huge.

Personally I would have at least two operators to encourage healthy competition.

Like in Singapore it would cost a few thousand baht for locals to get in the door so the mum and dad market folk would be excluded. The international players would drop billions of baht into the Thai economy.

Best bet is figure out where you think it will be located and buy real estate.

[dageurreotype]

If we play the game of odd man out, then Thailand will be left standing when all the neighbouring countries have casinos. Even straight-laced Singaporean of all religion and social activists were against the casino project in the early stage but have softened their stance now after seeing the amount of tax revenues and the strict rule enforcement. Who would have thought that Muslim majority Malaysia will have the first casino in this region. Now Vietnam, Cambodia and Philippines will have their casinos. It is not a matter of will it happen but rather when. PM Lee took his bold step in 2004 in producing a concept paper and rest is history. Will Prayuth have the fortitude to do the same? I think so as the monetary rewards are just to big to be ignored.

This from Wikipedia 'In 1923, gambling was briefly legalized in the then-British colony of Singapore, but the experiment led to gambling addiction and increased crime, and gambling was criminalised again within three years.^[5]'

And the article in it's entirety https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_resort from which you will see Lee

legalised some areas for Casinos against massive public opposition, so Prayut/Somyot won't give a rat's

anyway. Why? Again, 'Reforms' Pfft.

Those posters for any extension of endemic and destructive gambling practices here really should get out

more. Or perhaps they're missing their flutter on the gee gees at Ladbrokes of a morning

As long as people can gamble in Thailand, those that want to do so will, illegal or not. I personally know people who have been, and some still are, deeply in debt because of their gambling habits. That is now, here in Thailand, without legal casinos. They did not gamble anywhere else. All done locally. Some on cards and Hi-Lo, others on Premier League betting and others on the underground lottery. If they are going to screw themselves they are going to do it anyway.So why not make it legal and take a cut for the country.

Next you will be criminalizing the sale of alcohol because of the damage it causes to those who can't control their intake of the devil's brew, and totally banning cigarettes. It won't stop drinking and smoking you know! Where does it all stop? People need to be made responsible for their own actions and behaviour. Stop treating the people as if they can't think for themselves.

I posit it is you who needs to get out more.

I keep hearing this fallacious argument. If it were true, why were they so keen to prohibit the siting of liquor outlets near schools? Maybe to curb easier access to alcohol would be my best guess. The easier the access the more will use it. Ask Amsterdam and their liberal drugs policy about how that went for them. All 'cafes' quickly reverted to being just that, cafes.

Legalising gambling will add to, not negate, corruption, drug use, prostitution and violence, as it has everywhere else it's legal. Clearly you are one of those posters who's only interaction with the locals is being waited on in restaurants or at your local beerbar. You have no clue as to the already deleterious effects to illegal gambling here. You are proposing worsening it. For worsened it most certainly will be.

I posit you research more before posting that about which you have no clue and then go on to equate it with drinking and smoking

Edited June 23, 2015 by dageurreotype

[MyFriend You]

If we play the game of odd man out, then Thailand will be left standing when all the neighbouring countries have casinos. Even straight-laced Singaporean of all religion and social activists were against the casino project in the early stage but have softened their stance now after seeing the amount of tax revenues and the strict rule enforcement. Who would have thought that Muslim majority Malaysia will have the first casino in this region. Now Vietnam, Cambodia and Philippines will have their casinos. It is not a matter of will it happen but rather when. PM Lee took his bold step in 2004 in producing a concept paper and rest is history. Will Prayuth have the fortitude to do the same? I think so as the monetary rewards are just to big to be ignored.

I was talking with some senior Singapore businessmen last week and mentioned about this. They believed, purely from a business and economic view, Thailand would take considerable business away from other countries by having casinos. They said this would hurt Singapore and benefit Thailand.

A different question is why we have a chief of police, an extremely wealthy one at that, about to retire who suddenly decides he should campaign for legalized gambling and casinos. Who were the owners of those illegal casinos that were shut down? They were never identified and prosecuted.

He can't or actually won't make a decision when it is his job but is happy to decree how things should be that suits his agenda. Must be going into politics. PTP's next minister of justice 555

Insider Trading??

[GarryP]

If we play the game of odd man out, then Thailand will be left standing when all the neighbouring countries have casinos. Even straight-laced Singaporean of all religion and social activists were against the casino project in the early stage but have softened their stance now after seeing the amount of tax revenues and the strict rule enforcement. Who would have thought that Muslim majority Malaysia will have the first casino in this region. Now Vietnam, Cambodia and Philippines will have their casinos. It is not a matter of will it happen but rather when. PM Lee took his bold step in 2004 in producing a concept paper and rest is history. Will Prayuth have the fortitude to do the same? I think so as the monetary rewards are just to big to be ignored.

This from Wikipedia 'In 1923, gambling was briefly legalized in the then-British colony of Singapore, but the experiment led to gambling addiction and increased crime, and gambling was criminalised again within three years.^[5]'

And the article in it's entirety https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_resort from which you will see Lee

legalised some areas for Casinos against massive public opposition, so Prayut/Somyot won't give a rat's

anyway. Why? Again, 'Reforms' Pfft.

Those posters for any extension of endemic and destructive gambling practices here really should get out

more. Or perhaps they're missing their flutter on the gee gees at Ladbrokes of a morning

As long as people can gamble in Thailand, those that want to do so will, illegal or not. I personally know people who have been, and some still are, deeply in debt because of their gambling habits. That is now, here in Thailand, without legal casinos. They did not gamble anywhere else. All done locally. Some on cards and Hi-Lo, others on Premier League betting and others on the underground lottery. If they are going to screw themselves they are going to do it anyway.So why not make it legal and take a cut for the country.

Next you will be criminalizing the sale of alcohol because of the damage it causes to those who can't control their intake of the devil's brew, and totally banning cigarettes. It won't stop drinking and smoking you know! Where does it all stop? People need to be made responsible for their own actions and behaviour. Stop treating the people as if they can't think for themselves.

I posit it is you who needs to get out more.

I keep hearing this fallacious argument. If it were true, why were they so keen to prohibit the siting of liquor outlets near schools? Maybe to curb easier access to alcohol would be my best guess. The easier the access the more will use it. Ask Amsterdam and their liberal drugs policy about how that went for them. All 'cafes' quickly reverted to being just that, cafes.

Legalising gambling will add to, not negate, corruption, drug use, prostitution and violence, as it has everywhere else it's legal. Clearly you are one of those posters who's only interaction with the locals is being waited on in restaurants or at your local beerbar. You have no clue as to the already deleterious effects to illegal gambling here. You are proposing worsening it. For worsened it most certainly will be.

I posit you research more before posting that about which you have no clue and then go on to equate it with drinking and smoking

"I keep hearing this fallacious argument. If it were true, why were they so keen to prohibit the siting of liquor outlets near schools? " Because they are idiots. The anti-alcohol group, the we are all good Buddhist citizens and know better than you brigade. The problem is not the location of these places, but rather a lack of policing. Close down any places that sell to underage drinkers or fine them a considerable amount of money, an amount that would not make it worthwhile to serve under age drinkers. Use the bloody law as it is intended to be used rather than knee-jerk actions like these.

Do you seriously think that this will stop students drinking?

How will legalized gambling that is properly policed increase corruption, drug use, prostitution and violence? We are not talking about opening a casino at the end of every soi and letting the local constabulary run them, but rather professionally run complexes in resorts.

Perhaps your reading comprehension is somewhat lacking. I already know of plenty of people hurt by gambling. I even know the location of a couple of gambling dens in Bangkok. I am not proposing worsening the situation as many of those already hurt by their gambling would continue to be hurt legal or not. And many would not get through the door of a properly run casino, but would still gamble illegally.

BTW I was not equating drinking and smoking with gambling. What I am saying is that there are those who would like to ban these things too (as gambling is banned now), but that such a ban would not work. A lot of the do-gooders think that the only way to protect the public is to apply their own values to everyone else. This I am against.

FYI I have lived here for 32 years and do not partake of the beer bar scene. I also speak the lingo fluently, speaking Thai 99 percent of the time as I am the only foreigner in my department. So your hypothesis goes up in smoke. Also, I no longer smoke, drink or gamble of my own volition but respect the right of others to do those things if they so wish.

[Jimlove]

Why would a Policeman even have a say in the matter. Or why does he even think he has a say........Disgusting.

Agree ... but since he is above the law ....