Why Thais Love to Gamble

By Louis Asmedia

Arrests over illegal gambling are filling news content to the brim. Around 104 people were recently arrested for hosting unlawful gambling during the Euro 2020 football games. According to Thai authorities, the illegal operations were worth over a billion Baht. Police seized 19 ATM cards and bank books and found that operations were foreign-funded and dispersed in different locations along the western border in Tak.

The Thai Health Promotion Foundation reports that during the Euro 2016 football games, around 16.8% of those who gambled were children. Among those who admitted their participation reveals that their friend’s invitation and the gambling vibe enticed them to take their chances at gambling. According to the foundation, around 2.4 million bet on football games. A significant majority, or 82.6% are children.

A separate study by the Faculty of Economics and the Research Center for Social and Business Development of Chulalongkorn University reveals that around 30 million Thais consider themselves addicted to gambling. Of this figure, 700,000 are new gamblers. These statistics lead the institution to believe that gambling is a way for people to make money and make ends meet amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lucrative industry

The number and age range of gambling in Thailand is soaring as it is broadening and so is the net profit. For instance, football betting alone in 2004 saw an inflow of 33B Baht. It increased to 41B Baht in 2008 and soared to 78B Baht by 2012. It is no exaggeration that authorities estimate money inflows to reach as much as tens of billions in the aftermath of the Euro 2020 betting despite making more stringent efforts to crack down on gambling sites.

Just to illustrate how massive the online gambling industry is, in May 2021, the police busted three online dens raking in at around USD3M per month. Another bust early in the year was worth USD39 M in total assets which included bank accounts, passbooks, computers, houses, etc.

There’s a game for everyone

So why is gambling so popular and extensive in Thailand? There’s a game for everyone.

Regardless of your age or gender, there’s a game that will definitely get you hooked. ‘Hi Lo’ games are popular among the ladies. Young guys prefer snooker and pool. Other girls prefer red hot pool players where bets range for 20 Baht to 100 Baht. Of course the lottery is a clincher. Both legal and illegal lottery is a crowd favorite.

Since a big majority of Thais gamble, “an illegal thing feels legal” that it’s almost like a sub-culture, says a Bangkok local when asked about the why gambling is so popular in the country.

Another critical factor would be, the network of operators range from small to large-scale. On the community level, there will be area-specific hosts where gamblers are accommodated through dealers.

Another important factor would be culture. The popularity of both state and underground lottery is stoked by cultural beliefs and superstition. Numbers betting is a cultural thing altogether. Inspiration can range from a license plate number, age or year when grandparents died, birthday of family members. Dream clues can be interpreted into numbers. Some can bet on totally random numbers but most Thai numbers have reasons on numbers they choose to bet.

From the cultural to the structural

It would be moonshot to think that gambling will be eradicated or dismantled in the near future. Thai authorities are convinced that they need to clean their own backyard if they want to obliterate the illicit industry. Recent police busts expose rank-and-file, top brass and people in government colluding with illegal operators.

In February around 10 police officers and administrative officials were said to be complicit with the operations of clandestine gambling dens in Rayong which were alleged to have 100M Baht in circulation.​​

Last July, the Bangkok Post reported the arrest of 27 gamblers playing baccarat on seaside hotels in the Southern Island resort of the country where a politician was included in the round-up.

The venue known as the ‘Dragon Tiger’ was believed to be operating under the protection and or knowledge of police officials. This compelled the transfer of top-ranking police officers to another region pending investigation of their complicity to the crime. The bust seized a total gambling value of 12M Baht.

According to state officials, underground gambling dens are estimated to be around 200 nationwide where almost a quarter of them are located in Bangkok. For authorities who have been found guilty of the crime, they will be prosecuted for money laundering and provisions anti-gambling laws. They admit however, that poor law enforcement is also a culprit to the operations of illegal gambling in the country.

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