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Gambling PhD - Online Casino News - June 2004
Thai police arrest more than 500 in Euro 2004 gambling crackdown
Since the
beginning of the Euro 2004 championships Thai police have
arrested more than 500 in an illegal gambling sports
betting crackdown.
Police have been quoted as saying the arrests include over
400 gamblers and 51 bookies since the games began. So fat
they have seized 197,430 baht ($5,800) in cash and the
equivalent of over five million US dollars in betting
slips.
In Thailand football betting is illegal, but given the
country's love of gambling, there is a large underground
arena where these bets are placed. They also bet on just
about anything from fish fights and human fights.
Kasikornbank Research Center, which is a well respected
Thai polling agency, has estimated that Thai bettors will
wager approx. $814 million during the course of the 2004
Euro championships. This amount equates to around 0.5
percent of the country's estimated Gross Domestic Product
this year. Amazingly, this is even more than was wagered
on the 2002 World Cup.
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