BANGKOK (UCAN) -- As the government considers a plan to set up several casinos in Thailand, a Buddhist monk, a Catholic priest and a Muslim prayer leader warn of dangers.

On March 2, Thailand's new Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej mentioned in his weekly radio broadcast that he supports the concept of legalized gambling, which he said would bring tourist dollars into the country. He proposed building casinos open to both foreigners and Thai citizens in the tourist centers of Chiang Mai, Hat Yai, Khon Kaen, Pattaya and Phuket.

"Those who want to gamble can gamble and police can focus on other jobs instead of cracking down on illegal gambling dens," Samak said. Tourists will be allowed to try their luck at the tables for free, but Thai citizens would have to pay a fee that would go to charity, the prime minister elaborated.

Gambling is illegal in Thailand except for government-run lotteries, but "illegal" lotteries and betting on soccer also are popular. Additionally, Thais can travel easily to casinos just across the border in Cambodia and Myanmar.

Even so, a majority of Thais oppose legalization of gambling, according to a survey conducted after the prime minister's announcement.

The March 10 survey by ABAC Poll Research Center at Church-run Assumption University, formerly Assumption Business Administration College (ABAC), asked 6,073 Thais in 18 provinces their views on gambling. A majority, 55.3 percent, agreed that gambling is an "ordinary" human activity, but almost the same proportion, 56.4 percent, said gambling should not be legalized. Another 11.7 percent were neutral on this question. Only 31.9 percent supported legalization.

Venerable Payom Kanlayano of Suan Kaew Temple in Nonthaburi province, just north of Bangkok, spoke out publicly against setting up casinos in Thailand. The monk, well-known and respected in the country, where close to 95 percent of the people are Buddhists according to government figures, told the media monks might have to take on the responsibility of warning people to avoid this evil path.

Stigmatine Father Bancha Aphichartworakun, who heads Assumption Parish, the only Catholic parish in Phuket, a southern island-province, expressed his misgivings to UCA News.

"Legalizing casinos may bring lots of money, but it also will create a bad situation in our country," he said, citing gambling as a cause of family and societal problems.

Asserting that gambling can bring nothing more than material wealth to a few, the priest suggested people focus on inner serenity instead. Christianity does not approve of gambling, he said, and a Christian "must have the ability to resist the growth of consumerism and materialism."

Like Father Bancha, Imam Purin Nohamadmuli of Chomthong Mosque in Chachoengsao province, 80 kilometers east of Bangkok, spoke of the problems gambling causes in families. Gamblers hope for "easy money," but most end up with even less money for food and their children's education, which also causes fighting in the family, he explained.

"Islam forbids Muslims to gamble because it is sinful," the imam (prayer leader) told UCA News, adding that Buddhism and other religions take a similar stance. More people will become addicted if legal gambling dens are opened, he warned.

A proponent of the casino proposal, 32-year-old Somchai, says he started gambling because he was very poor and saw it as the only way to get richer. He acknowledges he is still poor, but still sees no alternative route to wealth for people like him.

Thailand should build casinos to generate jobs and tax revenue for development projects, he said. But he does worry that legalized gambling might spur criminal activity.

An ABAC center survey in May 2006 estimated the number of people involved in the seven most popular forms of gambling. It said 28.04 million people played the government lottery and 23.06 million a legal spin-off (since closed down) using only the last two or three digits, like the illegal "underground" lottery, which drew 12.61 million people. Two other lotteries run by government banks had 4.31 players, while football betting was up to 1.5 million people and almost 700,000 played the illegal "share" lottery, based on the stock index.

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