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Thailand is in the grip of Euro 2000 football fever. And despite warnings from the authorities, gambling on the matches is in full swing. This raises an interesting question: Are the government authorities, particularly the police, really serious about suppressing gambling?Since the Euro 2000 fever began last Saturday, football fans have been ridiculing the police's promise to get tough with gamblers. Since when have the police become serious about curbing gambling, they asked.
And they have a point. Illegal gambling activities have existed in the country for a long time. And despite the law against gambling, such activities are actually flourishing under the noses of law-enforcement officers. Everyone knows who is on the take; money has to be collected by district police and passed on to higher authorities.
High-ranking police officers have made public announcements that gambling on football matches would be seriously dealt with. How serious are they? Would bookmakers have to stop paying people in uniform just to make sure that this time no one is gambling?People in the know are aware of what is going on behind the scenes. They know how much money changes hands in the illegal gambling businesses. The Euro 2000 fever merely gives the police an opportunity to make an impressive, get-tough statement.
But are they barking up the wrong tree? Gambling is part and parcel of Thai society. It will stay with us as long as the powers-that-be-including politicians- are engaged in this illegal activity themselves.
Editorial from Krungthep Turakij