Youth advocates and activists have called on the government to enforce a ban on arcade "claw crane" machines which they say are defined in law as gambling tools targeting youngsters.
The machines are installed in large numbers in department stores throughout the country and young people have unrestricted access to them, according to Nutthapong Sampaokaew, coordinator of the No Gambling Youth Club.
Speaking at a forum in Bangkok yesterday, Mr Nutthapong said the question on people's minds was whether the service the machines offer constitutes gambling.
He said the Gambling Act categorises the machines as serving a betting purpose, a definition confirmed in a Supreme Court ruling. However, the machines operate freely at department stores and attract many youngsters.
The coin-operated machines are popular with young customers keen on working a crane claw to pick from among a pile of dolls inside a glass display case. Mr Nutthapong said authorities have no policy to licence operation of the machines.
The club has surveyed 92 department stores in 10 provinces including Bangkok. It found more than 1,300 machines are in place at 75 stores.
"The machines are located in areas where shoppers frequently pass through and there's no age restriction for customers," he said.
Mr Nutthapong added some operators intended to mislead people by putting up a sign that describes the machines as "automatic vending machines".
In a questionnaire the club distributed to people aged 15 and over, 80% said they have played the machines although more half of them admitted they did not know the service was against the law.
The authorities should enforce a ban on the machines and educate people not to engage in games of gambling nature, he said, adding the stores can also help by removing the machines from their premises.
Supapit Chaidit, chairwoman of the Children and Youth Council of Thailand, said the claw crane machines fit the definition of gambling because they require customers to place money to bet on the chance of getting something in return, in this case a doll.
Thanakorn Komkrit, secretary-general of the Stop-gambling Foundation, said if the machines were allowed to operate, they must come under tighter regulations including restricting access to those aged 20 and above. Former senator Rosana Tositrakul said the issue should prompt the government to root out gambling activities.
The claw crane machines drive young people to take chances and could lead to gambling addiction when they grow up, she said.