Thai Police Prepare for Euro 2008 Crackdown
Thai police aren’t worried about football hooligans; they’re more concerned about the flurry of illegal gambling that will take place during the next 3 weeks as Euro 2008 kicks off in Austria and Switzerland. National police chief Pol Gen Patcharawat has ordered police stations all over Thailand to crackdown on illegal betting activity during the tournament.
The European Championship may be taking place thousands of miles away from Thailand, but there will be many in the kingdom who will be following events keenly. A lot of Thai people will be following it just for the football, but there will be plenty who will be gambling on the outcome of the fixtures. Although most forms of gambling are illegal in Thailand, betting on football matches still remains extremely popular. A report in today’s Bangkok Post quotes Kasikorn Research, an economic think-tank, who predict that Thais will bet approximately 41 billion Baht ($1.2 billion) during Euro 2008. Considering such betting is illegal in Thailand the amount quoted is staggering, particularly as the average Thai person may only earn around 7,000 Baht ($215) per month.
According to the researchers, a slump in the economy and a rising inflation rate are factors that will see people continue to gamble in search of one big payout. Kasikorn Research state, ‘The rising cost of living directly affects the amount of money gambled . . . The amount is increasing as people hope they will earn a lot of money if they win.’