• 
• 

Published on August 7, 2007

The commission will be entrusted with controlling all gambling activities, tackling gambling-related problems and involving people in the effort to build a gambling-free society.

"The commission will also campaign against vices and gambling," Social Development and Human Security Minister Paiboon Wattanasiritham said yesterday.

He said the new commission would be granted a budget from the Bt500-million social welfare promotion fund.

A survey has estimated that there are between 20 and 30 million gamblers in Thailand.

The most popular forms of gambling are the Government Lottery Office's six-digit lotteries, two- and three-digit lotteries, underground lotteries, Government Savings Bank lotteries, Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives lotteries and bets on football results.

The Abac Poll Research Centre, Chandrakasem Raja-bhat University's Good Gover-nance Centre and Thai Chamber of Commerce University's Re-search Division conducted the survey in May.

Five provinces are currently taking part in a pivotal phase of the project to promote a gambling-free life - Chanthaburi, Nan, Bangkok, Nakhon Ratchasima and Phatthalung.

Pikul Kulchai, who works for the project in Chanthaburi, said the government should enforce national-level mechanisms to tackle gambling problems comprehensively, and all government agencies should join hands in the effort.

"All political parties should have an anti-gambling policy," she added.

Pikul said the National Buddhism Bureau should also encourage religious leaders to help stamp out gambling and promote morality. The Educa-tion Ministry, meanwhile, should recruit the help of schools and their staff in solving gambling-related problems.

"Relevant laws should be updated," she said.

Pikul said media organisations should also ensure that news coverage did not encourage people to gamble. "We should set a clear goal that we will eliminate gambling in 10 years."

Bundit Kimsri, who represents youths in Chanthaburi, said the government should ensure that laws covered gambling via online games and text messaging too, because youths often developed the gambling habit through these channels.

Paiboon said the proposals from Pikul and Bundit would be forwarded to the gambling commission once it is established.