kman Posted June 11, 2004 Report Share Posted June 11, 2004 Good luck with enforcing this ... BANGKOK (AFP) - Bangkok police said Wednesday they would set up a centre to crack down on gambling during the upcoming Euro 2004 championships after premier Thaksin Shinawatra ordered them to get tough on illegal betting. Police commander Lieutenant-General Thani Somboonsap said the centre was expected to begin operations Friday -- a day before the tournament kicks off -- and officers from every station in Bangkok would be required to report to it. "I am working hard to set up a centre at Metropolitan Police headquarters to handle football gambling during Euro 2004," Thani said. The police chief said there were many illegal football bookmakers operating on the eastern outskirts of Bangkok and that he was optimistic the central command would effectively clamp down on their activities. "I hope the police will be able to quell the gambling effectively," he said. Thaksin said in his weekly radio address Saturday that he was worried about the extent of gambling on Euro 2004 matches. "I have ordered police to be more strict with football gambling, especially during Euro 2004," he said. He also took exception to highly popular newspaper write-in competitions which dole out large prizes to readers who predict a football tournament's winner, saying the competition was gambling in disguise. A study carried out last year found that Thais lost up to 518.6 billion baht (13 billion US dollars) in 2001 to underground lotteries, overseas and illegal local casinos, soccer betting and other illicit gambling. During the 2002 World Cup, they wagered an estimated 107 million dollars on the semi-finals and final alone. Most forms of gambling are outlawed in Thailand but underground betting and lotteries are popular and some 500,000 people circumvent the ban every year by flocking to casinos across the border in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. Published: June 10, 2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelgianBoy Posted June 11, 2004 Report Share Posted June 11, 2004 Zaad is now officially warned ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaad Posted June 11, 2004 Report Share Posted June 11, 2004 everything is safely locked up. People love gambling and will continue to do so, no matter what. It's about time Thailand opens the door for legalization of a few casinos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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