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Thais not in favor of casinos, polls show


Polls conducted throughout Thailand revealed that the public has yet to be won round to the idea of legalizing casinos, CalvinAyre.com reported.

A poll conducted by Bangkok University on attitudes towards legalizing casinos in Thailand showed that more than half disagreed with the proposal.

In the survey of 1,093 people aged 18 and over throughout the country, 58.5 percent said that they did not agree with the idea while 35.1 approved and 6.4 percent had no comment, CalvinAyre.com said.

The results follow comments from Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha who told the media to ask what people think about legalizing gambling and the taxes it could generate.

The Suan Dusit Poll conducted from June 16 to 20 said that 45.1 percent of 1,363 respondents said they were against the proposal while 38.6 percent were supportive, saying that it could generate funds for projects and would create jobs.

A Nida Poll also said that 55 percent of the 1,501 participants disagreed with the proposal due to the adverse effects of gambling while 37 percent who favored the proposal claimed that illegal gambling dens were already rampant and it would be better to regulate them.

Gambling addiction, debts, corruption and a rising crime rate were among their concerns.

Last week a group of members of Thailand’s National Reform Council called for casinos to be legalized to boost tourism and tax revenue, saying the beach resort of Pattaya is the most logical location, The Nation newspaper reported.

 

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