A majority of people say they disagree with a proposal by a group of National Reform Council (NRC) members for the government to legalise casinos to generate income, saying gambling is a vice and is immoral and illegal, according to a Nida Poll conducted by the National Institute for Development Administration.
The poll was conducted on 1,501 people across the country between June 17-19.
Asked what they think about the proposal, most respondents — 54.96% — said they do not agree to it, reasoning that gambling is immoral and illegal and that casinos could cause youths to become addicted to gambling and are a source of crime.
However, 37.04% agree to the proposal, saying illegal casinos are already rampant in Thailand, so they should be legalised. With legalis casinos, the Thai people would not have to travel abroad but spend their money on gambling in the country. Moreover, legalised casinos can be a source of revenue, the same as they are for neighbouring countries.
A small number of respondents, 8%, had no comment.
Suan Dusit Rajabhat University also conducted a similar poll on June 16-20 on 1,363 people throughout the country.
The highest number of respondents, 45.19%, do not agree to legalising casinos in the country, saying they would only cause youngsters to become accustomed to vice and bring about corruption, crime and laxlaw enforcement; 38.66% agree that casinos could generate a lot of revenue for the country's development and promote tourism as well as employment; and 16.15% were of the opinion that those with decision-making power should first thoroughly study the pros and cons of the issue.