Thais hit Cambodia casinos to sidestep junta betting blitz

Desperate for a flutter during a junta crackdown on gambling at home, Thais are making a beeline for casinos in a seedy Cambodian border town – which has already been deluged by migrants also fleeing the kingdom. For over a decade Poipet, a scruffy, vice-ridden frontier town studded with casinos and online gambling booths, has lured customers from neighbouring Thailand, where betting is all but banned. Casino staff in Poipet said the chips have been changing hands at an unusually fast rate since the Thai army seized power across the border on May 22. A junta blitz on organised crime has seen raids on underground casinos, dozens of arrests and access to a number of online gambling sites blocked. In its get-tough message to illegal gamblers – and any local officials caught in cahoots with casino operators – the army rulers cited the need ‘to safeguard the public and uphold social order’. The warning brought a boon to Poipet’s card tables, slot machines and 24-hour online gaming booths – key for live betting on World Cup football matches being played in Brazil. ‘We cannot play these games in Thailand now,’ 32-year-old Nan said as she laid a 100 Thai baht (US$ 3) stake at a baccarat table at the Crown Resort Casino, according to AFP.