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Thailand's Funeral Gambling Dens18 December 2001THAILAND –– As reported by the Phuket Gazette: "Thais are so obsessed with gambling that 70 per cent of funerals held in certain provinces are auctioned by bereaved families so that gambling sessions can be held in an "industry" which generates hundreds of thousands of baht per night. "Dr Sangsit Piriyarangsan, Deputy Chairman of the Economic and Social Council, revealed in an interview with Nation Channel that highly lucrative temporary gambling dens are being set up during funerals. "Dealers make bids to families for funerals offering to take care of all costs incurred in return for the family's permission to hold gambling sessions during the funeral. "Part of the profits made from the funeral gambling sessions are said to be used for kickbacks to police. Sangsit said that gambling could now be considered part of Thai culture and that even though less money was being gambled, the number of gamblers was on the increase. "… Both men and women are equally attracted to gambling, but the survey showed that 97 per cent of those gambling on football games and 75 per cent of those going to gambling dens were men…" |