Students and young people are increasingly at risk of harm from online gambling due to widespread access to internet-equipped devices, a seminar was told yesterday.
Speakers at the forum urged parents to pay more attention to their children's internet habits to protect them from the dangers of gambling.
The seminar was organised by the Sodsri-Saridwongsa Foundation's Social Campaign and Public Policy Project to help combat gambling.
The foundation said school holidays were particularly high-risk times because students have more free time and are likely to spend longer hours in front of a computer.
Siriporn Yodkamolsart, a researcher with the Centre for Gambling Studies, said the increasing availability of modern technologies has made online gambling services more accessible to students and children.
Anyone with a smartphone can easily visit gambling sites.
Many countries permit online gambling without enforcing measures to prevent children from gaining access to the sites, Ms Siriporn said.
In Thailand, online gambling services are run by joint ventures with foreign partners.
Some gamblers also act as agents and receive free site credit in exchange for attracting new players, Ms Siriporn said.
Gambling sites are also using various tactics to create an exciting environment for gamblers, increasing the risk of addiction, she said.
Most online gamblers are men, though researchers say increasing numbers of women are also visiting the sites. Students account for the majority of online gamblers, followed by entrepreneurs running small- and medium-sized business.
Several government officials were also found to have gambled online, she said.
Online gamblers can place bets on anything from sporting results, beauty pageant contest results, election outcomes, or play more conventional casino-style games, Ms Siriporn said.
There are tens of thousands of gambling sites available online, with poker being the most popular game, she said.
Srida Tantha-athipanich, director of the Internet Foundation for the Development of Thailand, said online gambling sites are easy to visit. They also provide tips on gambling and telephone numbers to contact for additional information.
Meanwhile, more than 100 members of the Thai Society Protection Network gathered yesterday at Government House demanding a plan to amend the law governing the Government Lottery Office (GLO) be reviewed.
They said the amendment would give the GLO more power to offer a variety of gambling products which would turn the nation into "a gambling society".