Despite vigorous official attempts by the authorities to stamp it out, online gambling in Burma has become a multimillion kyat business among the country’s better-off middle class.
The risk of heavy legal penalties is ignored by bookmakers cashing in on the love affair between the typical Burmese punter and the twin attractions of football and gambling. Financial restrictions, such as the lack of a credit card system, are also overcome by cash-only operations. Even ceasefire groups are involved, a sports journal editor told The Irrawaddy.
The Burmese bookmakers are so successful at skirting the law that during last year’s World Cup football contest Thai operators slipped in from neighboring Thailand, where online gambling is also outlawed.
With the qualifying rounds of the 2008 European Football Championship contest under way and the start of Asia Cup matches, big money is being posted on Internet sites accessed by Burmese gamblers. Mandalay bookmaker Aung Ko told The Irrawaddy about 20 regular customers place bets with him worth 80 million kyat (US $62,400) a week. The minimum stake is 100,000 kyat (about $90).
Aung Ko said he is one of at least four Mandalay bookmakers running their business online. “My business has made me very rich in a short period,” he said.
Other online bookmakers operate in Rangoon, Taunggyi and Monywa. All deal through a leading Rangoon operator. Because of the difficulty of handling online currency dealings and the lack of a credit card mechanism, debts are collected and payouts made in cash.
The risk of heavy legal penalties is ignored by bookmakers cashing in on the love affair between the typical Burmese punter and the twin attractions of football and gambling. Financial restrictions, such as the lack of a credit card system, are also overcome by cash-only operations. Even ceasefire groups are involved, a sports journal editor told The Irrawaddy.
The Burmese bookmakers are so successful at skirting the law that during last year’s World Cup football contest Thai operators slipped in from neighboring Thailand, where online gambling is also outlawed.
With the qualifying rounds of the 2008 European Football Championship contest under way and the start of Asia Cup matches, big money is being posted on Internet sites accessed by Burmese gamblers. Mandalay bookmaker Aung Ko told The Irrawaddy about 20 regular customers place bets with him worth 80 million kyat (US $62,400) a week. The minimum stake is 100,000 kyat (about $90).
Aung Ko said he is one of at least four Mandalay bookmakers running their business online. “My business has made me very rich in a short period,” he said.
Other online bookmakers operate in Rangoon, Taunggyi and Monywa. All deal through a leading Rangoon operator. Because of the difficulty of handling online currency dealings and the lack of a credit card mechanism, debts are collected and payouts made in cash.
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