BANGKOK (Reuters) – Most Thais oppose the government’s plan to legalise casinos and online gambling, moves the authorities say would boost tourism and investment, an opinion survey found on Sunday.
The government this month approved a draft law to allow casinos in entertainment complexes and gambling online. The only legal gambling in Thailand is at state-controlled horse races and a lottery, but soccer betting and underground gambling and lotteries are rife, with vast sums of money changing hands.
In the poll by the National Institute of Development Administration, 69% of respondents opposed online gambling and 59% disagreed with both entertainment complexes and casinos, while 29% favoured both.
The poll, conducted on Monday and Tuesday, surveyed 1,310 people.
Neighbours, Cambodia, Singapore, the Philippines, Laos and Myanmar have large casino complexes. Thailand’s government argues the nation is turning its back on revenue and not reaching its tourism potential.
A key advocate of legalised gambling has been Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s father, billionaire former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. He said this month the legalisation could net the government as much as 100 billion baht ($3 billion) a year.
($1 = 33.54 baht)
(Reporting by Orathai Sriring; Editing by William Mallard)
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