Wherever you go, you'll notice the lottery tickets they are selling in all major cities in Thailand.
The state run lottery is drawn twice a month.
As a general rule, gambling in Thailand is illegal.
However it is in the nature of most people in the SE Asia region to gamble and Thailand is no exception. Just about anything can be used as an opportunity to bet. There are transboundary lotteries, horse races, football matches, illegal bookmaking at the races, boxing matches, cockfights and fish fights. A recent report in the Bangkok Post newspaper stated that "Each year, the gambling world in Thailand turns over 320 million Baht. Around 110 million of this goes to gambling dens, 92 million goes to underground lotteries, 51 million goes on football bets and about 38 million to the state-run lottery"
Gambling is a major source of income for the black economy, including drug trafficking, tax evasion, illicit arms trade, prostitution and illegal logging to mention a few.
There are moves to legalise gambling to increase the state revenue, promote tourism, create new businesses and jobs, and decrease the amount of illegal cash in circulation.
But if you ask me, without gambling there is no life in Thailand, or at least, not the way it should be. If you have a thai girlfriend or wife, you know what I'm talking about.
Poker for example, is one the most favourite time spendings, and if you tried for yourself, yeah, why not? It's fun!
As long as it is a daily break from all the stress, there is certainly no problem with it!
