THRIVING DENS
The number of Thais crossing to Poipet has increased under this government, to 3,000 a day. Most go to gamble
STORIES BY NAOWARAT SUKSAMRAN, PHOTOS BY TAWATCHAI KEMGUMNERD, SA KAEO
Casinos are doing a thriving business in the border town of Poipet in Cambodia.
Each day, 3,000 Thais enter Cambodia through the Klong Luek-Poipet checkpoint in Aranyaprathet district. The daily figure shoots up to almost 10,000 during the long holiday period.
The above figures only include passport-holders, as Sa Kaeo residents can seek border passes to enter the neighbouring country.
Over 80% of Thai holiday-makers entering Cambodia through the checkpoint end up in casinos. The rest either head for Siem Reap or Phnom Penh.
Cambodian casinos opposite Sa Kaeo are the most popular destinations for Thai gamblers as they can be easily reached.
Immigration officer Pol Lt-Col Sompong Kaenchan said the number of gamblers dropped dramatically during the previous administration when the Thai border authorities were ordered to tighten border crossing regulations and told to install closed-circuit cameras at the checkpoints.
The same government flirted with the idea of legalising gambling, to stop the flow of money across the border to Cambodia.
Business picked up after the easing of regulations to facilitate visitors who are now only required to show their passport to gain entry.
One gambler said the casinos in Cambodia are a boon for Thai gamblers.
"Whenever police step up raids on gambling dens in Bangkok, gamblers flock to border casinos," he said.
Eu-ee, a travel agent, said casino operators provide gamblers with free transportation. Every morning, double-decker buses await gamblers at Lumpini park and some major department stores.
Gamblers travelling in a group can ask for a pick-up at a designated location in Bangkok or nearby provinces, such as Saraburi, Nakhon Ratchasima and Nakhon Pathom.
Any gambler ordering gambling chips worth 10,000 baht or more at any of the casinos is entitled to a free ride, free food as well as free accommodation.
The ride can cost you 100 baht if you have to pay out of your own pocket, he said.
Serm Chantapan, chief of Ta Yak tambon organisation administration, said some local people have made a fortune providing transportation for the gamblers. However, when many tried their luck at the gambling tables they ended up losing even their vehicles.
The TAO chief said he has time and again tried to discourage Sa Kaeo people from gambling through all sorts of measures. Teachers are told to regularly lecture their pupils in school on what harm gambling could bring to the family so that they could get the message across to their parents.
"The casinos are no good to our economy as the social impact is immense, not only on our community, but the whole country," Mr Serm said.
The hope of making a quick fortune has also kept the locals away from hard work. "Betting pays off better than selling vegetables and fish in a market," one vendor said.
She pointed out many vendors crossed the border to play slot machines and pocketed 300-500 baht a day, much higher than the daily earnings of 100-200 baht they generally make in a market.
Such a mindset has given business operators in the province a headache.
Ratri Saengrungruang, who runs a tour agency, said besides the labour shortage, job-hopping was another problem as many prefer to spend their time in a casino where they can earn big tips.
It is no secret that Thai politicians own many gambling dens in neighbouring countries, where they can make lavish income and also launder their ill-gotten gains.
"Politicians-turned-casino owners enjoy privilege. They need not step out of their car for customs clearance, especially after the closed-circuit cameras were installed, as the images were also relayed to the Prime Minister's Office," a source said.
A veteran politician, whose business at the Golden Triangle went down, now runs two casinos in Poipet. Among Thai casino operators are an oil trader and a steel importer, said the source. "Casino earnings are their accumulated capital, and part of the earnings will be injected into the upcoming election," said the source. According to a report published in a Cambodian daily, US$16 million in tax went into Cambodian government coffers last year from 24 legal casinos on the Thai-Cambodian border.
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FOR THE TRULY DESPERATE...
The sight of pawn shops, so common in casinos in Poipet, speaks volumes about your winning chances.
According to operators of the Mr Bean Shop in Casino Tropicana, the shop will accept any item of value, including gold-gilded Jatukam Ramathep amulets.
However, you're not going to get the market price for your valuables. Gold accessories, for example, are bought at roughly 80% of their market value, while brand-name watches and bags are bought at 40% and 25% respectively.
"Some people even place their passports as collateral. We had to pick them up from the casino because they could not cross the border," said the shop owner.
But the business of borrowing is so common in casinos that gamblers have even coined their own slang for the industry.
Here are some of the terms used in the casinos:
- Yip Sip (grabbing ten) refers to a loan shark who charges a 10% interest rate on loans. A borrower is charged 10% interest which is immediately deducted from the principal amount.
- Buay Loy (floating lotus) is a creditor who lends small amounts of money, up to a maximum of 5,000 baht, and collects a daily instalment of 100 baht. They mostly lend money to regulars who they may know and think are trustworthy.
- Khai Puen Tee (selling space) refers to a gambler who has lost all his money and is so much in debt that he is unlikely to ever come back.
- Khuen Tang Duan (taking the expressway) refers to gamblers who only place small bets but hope to make big money in the end.
- V.I.P. refers to a fresh gambler with deep pockets.
- Vampire refers to a person addicted to gambling. Even if he has no money to play, he hangs around the premises and is happy to cheer on the other gamblers.
- Ban Sai Thong (golden-sand mansion) refers to shoddy accommodation places available to gamblers. They charge 50 baht per night.
- Ponlamai Ruam (assorted fruits) refers to a group of male and female gamblers who share accommodation.
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A place of hope for the unemployed
Population explosion in Poipet after the mushrooming of casinos
Cambodians scramble for a pass at the checkpoint at the opening of the border in the morning. Most make a living as vendors and porters on the Thai side and return home the same evening.
Poipet, a small Cambodian border town oppposite Thailand's Aranyaprathet, has become a place of hope for Thais and Cambodians alike.
Thai gamblers form a major group of regular visitors to the town to try their luck at several casinos on Cambodian soil. Meanwhile, the town is a point of departure for thousands of Cambodians who want to leave for better-paying jobs in Thailand.
Five years ago, the population of the town was only about tens of thousands. But after it was developed into a casino town, its population rapidly rose to hundreds of thousands as more and more people were attracted to the town by better job opportunities.
More than 3,000 Cambodians enter Thailand through the Klong Luek-Poipet checkpoint daily to make a living as unskilled workers or petty traders.
With temporary border passes, they have to cross back to their country before the checkpoint is closed at 8pm on the same day.
Aranyaprathet immigration officer Pol Lt-Col Sompong Kaenchan said the pass is valid for six months. "If they fail to make it on the same day, we will blacklist them. That means we will not renew the pass after it expires," he said.
However, many Cambodians who want to stay longer in Thailand to work have sneaked in through other passages along the Thai-Cambodian border.
An immigration source said illegal Cambodian migrants usually cross the border in groups of seven or eight people. Transportation is normally arranged for them by illegal job placement agents, who charge a service fee of 3,000 baht per head.
The source said the number of registered Cambodian workers in Thailand is about 26,000 people, but the real number could be as high as 100,000.
Apart from the Aranyaprathet border, other popular channels for Cambodians to sneak into Thailand include Ban Hat Lek in Trat province opposite Jam Yiem town in Cambodia's Koh Kong province, and Chong Jom in Surin province opposite O'Smach town in Oddar Meancheay province.
Bangkok Post Sept. 1, 2007