Gambling should be legalized in Thailand. It is a taboo to bet on football, boxing and so forth. Making a wager is a very big no, not here in Thailand and you could end up sitting in a Thai police station if you make a wager on your favourite team.
The moral objection is that it will make Thai people worse off than they are. The sad thing is, this isn’t true. Thais love to gamble, and they will gamble on anything they can. Their favourite is football or soccer, they bet billions of Baht illegally each year on football. Also high on the list is cards and dice games. This is followed by Muay Thai, cock fighting, fighting fish, dog fights, even Rhino beetles, and on and on the list goes.
The problem is the government is driving all the gambling underground into the hands of unscrupulous people, people who offer unfair odd and conditions that just aren’t fair for the gambler.
Illegal money lenders are usually the bookies who are taking the bets, they then charge exorbitant rates of interest. Here in Thailand if you owe the wrong people you end up in a rice field bashed to death or shot in the back.
If the Thai government used some vision and legalised gambling, such as casinos, tote shops and so forth it would take many people out of the little tin sheds in hidden away areas and give the punters a fairer chance at winning, not a lot more though.
The good thing is that all the money wagered and lost would instead of padding some already wealthy thief; it would go into the government’s coffers through taxes. This money could be spent on so many things to improve Thais ways of life. Money could be spent on the dreadful roads, on the problem of poor and homeless, education, building more hospitals, the elderly and so forth. Legalised gambling would bring in billions of Baht annually in taxes.
Since Euro Soccer Cup has kicked off Thai police have arrested a few small guys operating as bookies, they have confiscated cash and bet details but these are only small fish. The big guys with all the money and power are paying the right people to be safe and have no problems with the law.
Money sadly talks in Thailand. If you have it you can get around any obstacle without headaches. It gives you a green light to print money. I agree that gambling is a scourge on society and causes many problems but people will do it illegally if it isn’t legalised.
What do you think? Should gambling be legal or illegal?
I would like to hear your feedback.
