MOST THAIS back the legalisation of casinos in Thailand because it would enable the government to earn taxes and tourism income while also creating jobs, a study revealed yesterday.

Two other studies suggested that casinos in neighbouring countries did not cause negative economic or social impacts but benefited hotel and airline businesses in Thailand’s Chiang Rai province and created jobs in Sa Kaew province.

The study on people’s attitudes towards casinos in Thailand, authored by academic Krisada Phornprapha, showed that most respondents backed casino legalisation because of government revenue and job creation, while it would reduce the number of Thais who cross borders to gamble in neighbouring countries.

Krisada recommended that the government should proceed with the legalisation process and ensure that income from casinos was spent to benefit society via the establishment of a fund. The monitoring of casinos’ income and expenses should also be clear and transparent, the researcher added.

The government should also promote the casinos and conduct a public relations campaign so people understood that casino resorts also served as entertainment and conference venues with other recreational areas, while gambling took up only 25 per cent of the space in any given resort, according to the study.

The study also recommended that the government set criteria to screen visitors according to their age and income levels to reduce adverse social consequences and crime, and also prohibit state officials and politicians from gambling. It also suggested that casino visitors should be required to present their national identification cards and documents attesting to income level and tax payments in line with a minimum requirement for entering the premises. The study proposed that the government could collect a flat tax from each casino on a regular basis.

Krisada’s study also analysed the behaviour of Thai punters, most of whom have obtained bachelor’s degrees and earn less than Bt200,000 a year. The most cited reasons for gambling were personal interest and easy access to gambling venues.

Another study by academic Saran Thitirak analysed Chiang Rai residents’ reactions regarding the impact of casinos in Myanmar and Laos, concluding that there were no averse effects, while the northern province’s geographic location meant that hotels and airlines benefited from travellers in transit.

The third study focusing on Sa Kaew province, by academic Visanu Vongsinsirikul, found that adjusting border checkpoints’ opening and closing times allowed punters to stay the night in Thailand after visiting casinos in Cambodia’s Poi Pet town. Sa Kaew residents enjoyed job benefits as a result while crimes committed by Cambodians in Thailand had declined, the survey found.

All three studies were presented during a Bangkok press conference conducted by Associate Professor Sungsidh Piriyarangsan and other academics .

Other research on the topic included academic Duangporn Apasilpa’s study of Macau casinos, which found that income from casinos accounted for 85 per cent of Macau government income. The most cited social impact from gambling was the increase in foreign workers, followed by how gambling affected the island’s image.