The Stop Gambling Foundation’s campaign aims to collect 50,000 signatures to demand a referendum.
Thailand.- The Stop Gambling Foundation, along with a group of legal experts, anti-gambling advocates and representatives from various institutions and professional groups, aims to challenge the government’s plan to legalise casinos in entertainment complexes. They aim to collect 50,000 signatures to demand a referendum.
Thanakorn Komkris, secretary-general of the Stop Gambling Foundation, said a petition would be submitted to the Election Commission (EC), which would check the eligibility of signees. Komkris said that the cabinet would not be able to reject the petition and would have to set a date. Phumtham Wechayachai, Thailand’s deputy prime minister, has previously dismissed calls for a referendum.
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A survey conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida) found the majority of Thais to be opposed to the government’s plans to legalise casino entertainment complexes and online gambling.
Telephone interviews conducted from January 20 to 22 found that among 1,310 adult respondents of various levels of education and incomes, 59.19 per cent were against both proposals, while 28.9 per cent supported both, 8.63 per cent supported entertainment complexes without casinos and 1.60 per cent supported the introduction of casinos only. The remaining 1.68 per cent had no comment.
