PUBLISHED: 26 Feb 2025 at 04: 00
One in four young people are thought to be susceptible to gambling addiction, according to a plea that was submitted to the prime minister yesterday by about 30 youth organizations from a junior community against gambling.
Sompat Ninlaphan, assistant permanent director of the Prime Minister’s Office, received the complaint.
The group is concerned about a rise in new adolescent gamblers, according to Wasinee Sonsab, the system coordinator, who said the group was opposed to the betting Act 1935 being amended to legalize online gambling.
” Currently, Thai youths can access gambling in large numbers”, she said, adding that data from the Center for Gambling Studies found that 32.3 % or 2.9 million people aged 15-25 gambled online in 2023. About one in four, or 739, 000 students, are in danger of becoming addicted, she claimed.
” This is a]statistic ] that has not been protected by the government at all. The system would like to show its opposition to the policy because it is a dishonest and selfish idea to try to increase revenue from online gambling. This clearly demonstrates the desire to focus exclusively on short-term gains, with the negative long-term effects that may follow,” she said.
The government claims that it will use the profits from the gaming industry to fund scholarships for underprivileged kids, but she added that this is similar to using youthful people’s potential as a bargaining chip without taking any responsibility for it, she continued.
The claim that this act imposes a higher penalty on offenders is like taking powerful medicine to treat a serious illness, Miss Wasinee continued.
” But, online gambling is quite common at present. One of the main causes are officers ‘ wrongdoing and corruption. So, making the punishment more severe might be a force for shady doctors who may use this medication. The children organization anticipates that the prime minister will go over this proposal.
Bodinchai Boonpok, the head of Ramkhamhaeng University’s Youth Network for Risk Reduction, said that those who become addicted to online gaming admit it’s very difficult to break out of this cycle. He said that many people rely on lying and stealing to fuel their practice.
” We do not think that legalizing online gaming or gambling will reduce or eliminate illegal gambling dens and websites,” Mr. Bodinchai said. ” It is simply an excuse to trap people”.