The National Economic and Social Development Board has expressed concern that the numbers of local gamblers will shoot up when the FIFA World Cup gets underway next month.
The rising numbers of gamblers is worrying, said Chutinarth Wongsuban, Deputy Secretary General of state planning agency, the NESDB, in her report on the Social Situation and Outlook for the first quarter of this year.
About 4.6 million engaged in football game gambling in the FIFA World Cup 2014. Two million of them were new faces and 500,000 of them indicated they would gamble on other football matches, she said.
Two key factors are seen as causing the rise in gamblers – the social environment and easier access to placing bets online. Concerned parties have laid out a plan to reduce gambling during the knockout stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with a focus on preventing children and youths from engaging in gambling, she added.
The Nation
