Police arrest online gambling suspects on an almost daily basis, including recent cases in which three influencers encouraged others to gamble.
The celebrities involved are Ms. Ladapa Ratchataarmornchote, also known as Cherry Samkok and her manager Mr. Kritsada Chanakhan, Ms. Papawi Chaimongkol or Oi the Kiss, Mr. Nipon Chitkla, an owner of the popular song Time Machine, and Ms. Jiranan Thongklaing, Nipon’s girlfriend.
The four suspects admitted their wrongdoing. The court in Nonthaburi Sub-District commuted half of the prison sentence, reducing it to 2 months for all four defendants. As the defendants have no previous convictions, it is considered appropriate to replace the prison sentence with a suspended sentence.
This decision will take effect immediately on July 17, 2023, as the defendant’s actions, according to an analysis of the circumstances of the case, could easily lead others, especially minors, to engage in gambling.
This case coincides with the findings of the Gambling Problem Education Center, which recently studied online gambling behavior among young people in 2023. The study found that within the last 12 months, about 32.3 percent, or nearly 3 million young people, participated in online gambling.
Associate Professor Dr. Nualnoi Trita, Director of the Gambling Problem Education Center, stated that the top 5 warning signs of problematic gambling behavior are:
1. Increasing the amount of money wagered to experience excitement, thrill, or the illusion of a chance to win.
2. Chasing losses by repeatedly returning to gambling in an attempt to recover lost money.
3. Gambling with larger amounts of money than one can afford to pay.
4. Feeling guilty about gambling or experiencing negative consequences resulting from gambling.
5. Recognizing that there may be a problem related to gambling.
In addition, it was found that around 23 per cent of young individuals engaging in online gambling fall into the category of problematic gamblers, requiring counseling and assistance from mental health experts. Within this group, there are approximately 112,000 adolescents aged 15-18 and 577,000 young adults aged 19-25 who are affected.
