Gambling is one of the oldest hobbies of the peoples of all countries and continents. A huge number of Asians also have a passion for gambling. But while Asians are betting on everything imaginable, from cockfights and presidential elections to the outcome of European football matches, many Asian countries are facing deep cultural prejudice and a political and religious struggle against legalizing the gambling industry. However, the authorities of these countries increasingly agree to open casinos within their borders. This is done, as a rule, in the expectation of an influx of more tourists and a huge amount of money from gambling licenses.

The popularity of the latter raises many difficult questions for Asian governments. For example, in the interests of greater public order, shouldn't the gaming business be legalized without leaving it at the mercy of underground dealers? And will the legalization of casinos lead to an increase in the flow of "dirty", criminally acquired money laundered through them?

CASINO SHIP OFF THE COAST OF GOA

However, neither the high cost nor the lack of licenses can hold back the growing wave of opening new casinos in Asia. In 2001, India took a drastic step in this direction by allowing a casino ship to anchor off the coast of Goa,the only Indian state with legal casinos. Today, there are 6 casinos in Goa, including the floating casino "Karavella".

The introduction of a 5% tax, which can enrich many poor Indian states, is one of the main arguments in favor of legalizing gambling. Today, India ranks 9th in the world in terms of revenue from the gambling industry, although only the lottery (allowed in only 13 of the 28 states) and horse racing are legal games in the country. The true revenues from the entire gambling industry are incalculable, as most of it remains in the shadows. But it is known that the turnover only from the legal paper and electronic lottery reaches from 350 billion rubles. up to 1 trillion rubles. Rs. per year ($1 is equal to 44.7 rupees). It is interesting that the country's authorities allow betting on horse races, referring to the fact that this is a kind of art. But at the same time, it is forbidden to bet on cricket.

In Taiwan, under the influence of years of public debate, demands from local authorities and initiatives from parliamentarians, the government is considering legalizing gambling and opening casinos in a separate Penghu Archipelago. The opening of a gambling "reservation" on Penghu promises not only to attract new tourists and investment, but also to stop the outflow of huge capital of Taiwanese players abroad. Meanwhile, the Taiwanese authorities have been successfully drawing the previously banned state lottery for about 7 years, thus taking the first half-step towards legalizing gambling. In 2005, the Taiwan Central Election Commission even decided to use the lottery to increase voter turnout in local government elections.

In Malaysia, where casinos, mutual betting and horse racing are legalized, there are 4 cities with gaming centers. The largest Casino de Genting, which operates around the clock in the mountain resort, has 426 gambling tables, 3140 slot machines and a hotel with 7,000 rooms. However, this casino opened in 1971 is closed to Muslims, serving mainly Singaporeans and Chinese. Since January 2006, the country's authorities have increased the cost of licenses for gambling operators by almost 5 times and are inclined to limit the opening of new gaming pilgrimage centers. But the weakness of efforts to protect Muslims from gambling has been shown by the scandal with the former First Minister of Sabah, who ran up millions of dollars in debt in casinos in London and Melbourne in 2005.

The Japanese authorities are also thinking about the development of legal gambling. A relevant law is expected to be passed in 2008, and tenders may be held in 2009 for the opening of 3 casinos in Okinawa, Tokyo, and probably one of the other cities on Honshu Island. In the meantime, Japanese players are content with dealing with "one-armed bandits" and forays into casinos in other Asian and American countries.

Even socialist Vietnam managed to jump on the bandwagon, opening the Do Son Casino in the northern port of Haiphong about 15 years ago. This casino was created as a joint venture between the state-owned travel company Wang Hoa and the SHR company, headed by Stanley He, the famous gambling boss of Hong Kong and Macau. In 2006, a Malay company bought a large casino "Jockey Club Saigon" from Korean owners. Earlier, in 2005, Vietnamese lawmakers proposed opening a casino for foreigners in Ho Chi Minh City. Despite the success of the business, the Vietnamese authorities are still not very encouraging the opening of new casinos. But in 2007, it is expected to legalize betting on European football matches. This is due to the fact that the volume of illegal betting on popular football in Vietnam, according to the press, reaches 1 billion US dollars a year. Their legalization can stop scandals with match-fixing in the Russian Federation.

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the Vietnam Football League and scandals such as the case of an official from the Ministry of Transport who spent more than $ 1.5 million on soccer bets in 2005.

"PEARL OF SIN" ATTRACTS CHINESE PEOPLE

Thanks to the long-standing gambling tradition and a special blend of Western and Eastern cultures, Macau remains the main "pearl" of gambling in Asia. This former Portuguese enclave, with a population of up to half a million people and an area of just 23.8 square kilometers, ranks third in the list of gaming capitals of the world, after Monte Carlo and Las Vegas. Macau receives the lion's share of revenue from the gambling industry, which includes dozens of casinos, hundreds of gaming tables, lotteries, a racetrack, dog racing and underground gambling dens controlled by the local mafia. But for now, Macau is hoping to attract new customers from China, where gambling is still banned. And there are fewer customers from other Southeast Asian countries, where the gambling industry is gaining more and more momentum. In addition, a few years ago, Beijing banned Chinese officials from traveling to Macau. This happened after several officials and party bosses squandered more than one million dollars from the state budget there.

However, the Macau casino is not in danger of ruin, since, according to statistics, only in 2000, in the first year after the transfer under the power of Beijing, this enclave was visited by 2.2 million Chinese citizens. And the number of visitors from Taiwan reached 1.3 million people. Finally, in 2002, the Chinese authorities closed the 40-year monopoly of billionaire Stanley He, allowing any gambling corporations in the world to compete for casino licenses. Taking advantage of this lucky opportunity, Americans are already building their own casino in Macau, combining the best standards of Las Vegas with the laws of Feng Shui*, gilded interiors, tea ceremonies and gambling traditions of China.

The growing number of casinos across Asia is making it more difficult to regulate these establishments. One of the main concerns is that casinos can be used for money laundering by the mafia. These concerns are reasonable, because even Australia, with its clearest rules for regulating gambling, cannot prevent money laundering in its casinos, through which millions of drug and other criminal dollars pass every year.

Residents of Thailand, where legal gambling is limited to lotteries and horse races, beat the gambling fever in casinos that flourish luxuriantly on the borders of poorer neighbors: Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. Although all of these casinos are located outside of Thailand, most of them are owned by Thais, and 99% of the clientele is also made up of Thais themselves. About 25 years ago, the border between Thailand and Cambodia was the scene of battles between the army and the Khmer Rouge guerrillas, who constantly threatened military attacks in Thailand. But today, the only form of intrusion is the flow of thousands of Thais traveling to Cambodia every day to play in border casinos.

At least two casinos are currently operating on the border between Thailand and Myanmar. One casino operates near the capital of Laos, Vientiane, and 8 other casinos are located along the Thai-Cambodian border. The largest gambling center is Popet in Cambodia, 220 km east of Bangkok. Before the introduction of the visa regime with Cambodia by the Thai authorities in 2000, the flow of Thais coming to Popet reached 5 thousand people a day. In recent years, at least 7 casinos have been opened here. In order not to risk arrest in underground casinos at home, Thais prefer to visit luxury casinos abroad, where they can safely bet, and even spend a free night in a hotel, buying $ 750 worth of chips. USA.

Although the growing popularity of cross-border casinos raises fears of capital leakage from Thailand, in fact, instead of capital leakage, there is even a return flow of capital. After all, the profit from the operation of these casinos falls into the pocket of owners from Thailand. For example, the largest casino in Popet, Tropicana, is owned by Taika, the owner of a giant steel concern. And the neighboring Las Vegas casino is owned by a Thai tycoon who controls a well-developed network of gas stations throughout the country. In addition, cross-border casinos operate Thai electricity, telephone service, and banking systems.

The Popet Casino serves several thousand Thais and Cambodians (dealers, croupiers, and hotel employees), as well as an international management team from Australia, the Philippines, and Macau. But in addition to creating a certain number of jobs, it is doubtful what benefits Cambodia itself receives from these casinos, where until recently there was no legislation regulating the flow of gambling profits to the treasury. Local casinos are profitable only for a narrow circle of officials and politicians responsible for issuing licenses.

The Thai side is also experiencing problems from the effects of the boom in cross-border gambling. The Thai authorities are trying to keep fellow citizens obsessed with gambling from wasting hard-earned money at the gambling table. In addition, the shady nature of gambling, again, is associated with drugs, prostitution, corruption and other crimes. This is why critics are calling on the authorities to legalize and regulate the operation of casinos in Thailand itself. But attempts to raise this issue are met with opposition. Thai conservatism, coupled with the interests of underground and cross-border casinos, keep this issue from appearing on the agenda of parliamentary discussions.

THE CHURCH IS NOT HAPPY

Gambling is no less difficult in the Philippines. When local authorities allowed the country's first online casino to operate in 2001, parliamentarians and the country's influential Catholic Church criticized the move as an intrusion of gambling into the homes and offices of Filipinos, and even as a sinful temptation for young Internet users. When to open an Online casino

* Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese art of living in harmony with nature.

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When the casino opened, Filipinos got round-the-clock access to a wide range of gambling games, including blackjack, craps, mini-baccarat, roulette and slot machines. In 2005, the state-owned Entertainment and Gambling Corporation of the Philippines (KRAF) gave its blessing to the international BetOnSports group to sign a major contract with the local Internet company Philweb to accept bets on sports competitions online.

In addition to online casinos, KRAFT oversees dozens of casinos, hundreds of bingo kiosks, and bookmakers across the country. In 2000 alone, the Government received a total revenue of US $ 292 million through this State office. Although many churches, civil society organizations, and non-governmental organizations accept corporate grants, the church still opposes all forms of gambling in Asia's only predominantly Catholic country. Church fathers complain that gambling causes emotional turmoil, especially among poor Filipinos who bet without having the money to buy even the most necessary things. This is done, of course, in the hope of a lucky chance that will allow them to get rich instantly. According to surveys, at least 58% of Filipinos are addicted to various types of gambling. Despite endless arguments about the permissibility and morality of government involvement in gambling, the latter is still thriving, generating huge revenues for the struggling Philippine government.

At one time, the church and the opposition often used the topic of gambling to fight against President Estrada, whose love of the game and close ties to gambling bigwigs led to his impeachment in January 2001 and subsequent arrest. Joseph Estrada's downfall was sealed when he did not share the proceeds of underground gambling with his partners and was publicly accused by them of receiving millions in bribes, which he spent on expanding his business and buying luxury villas for numerous mistresses.

After the Variety Show scandal, the Philippine Ministry of Finance considered privatizing KRAF, while stipulating that privatization could bring both benefits and an undesirable reduction in funds for many charitable projects. According to the law, half of KRAF's income goes to the treasury, while the other half goes to cover the expenses of the Corporation itself and various charitable contributions, including the president's social fund, which is mainly used to finance projects to help the poor. According to the leaders of KRAF, the government's involvement in the gambling industry allows for better control and regulation of the gambling business in the country. However, the dubious nature of these claims was shown by the scandal with the former president, who, as a seasoned gambler, risked self-serving "all-in", but fell victim to dissatisfied partners and competitors. And in 2005, opposition forces in the Philippines initiated the impeachment of current President Gloria Arroyo. One of the reasons for the impeachment campaign was the accusations against Arroyo's relatives of profiting from the gambling industry.

It is hard to imagine a modern casino in the Kingdom of Nepal, one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world, where gambling is strictly prohibited for local citizens. But Indians and other foreigners who come to try their luck at the gambling table keep the local gambling business afloat. For almost a quarter of a century, Nepal had only one casino for foreign customers. But now there are 6 casinos operating in the country, working at the best hotels in Kathmandu - the capital of Nepal. The business of all casinos is booming, which is not hindered even by the growing competition from other countries. The oldest casino in Nepal, "Nepal", which has been operating since 1968 in the best hotel in the capital, attracts up to 2 thousand customers on weekdays and up to 3500 players on weekends. In 1992, large casinos were opened-Casino Royale, "Casino Everest", "Casino Anna", etc. For each of them, the owners of the company "give" the authorities $ 180,000 a year, in addition to taxes and other payments to the treasury.

Although the majority of gamblers in Nepal are traditionally Indian, their numbers have been declining in recent years, as many Indians go on boat cruises or to other Asian countries that also have casinos to satisfy their sense of excitement. Another problem is that Indians cannot import banknotes more than 100 rupees into Nepal. And Indian banknotes with a face value of 500 rupees are prohibited for circulation in Nepal.

There are also psychological problems associated with the anti-Indian sentiments of Nepalis. According to one of the owners of the casino, in response to the inhospitality of the owners, proud Indians prefer not to come to visit at all. However, 95% of the major players in Nepal are still Indians, and the remaining 5%

- other foreigners, such as Tibetans. Among the smaller players, Indians make up 65%, and 35% of the total number of players are Chinese.%

- other foreigners.

As new casinos open, existing casinos will see increased competition. Although some opposition politicians oppose the development of gambling in Nepal, the local gambling Mecca seems to have a long and bright future ahead of it.

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Gambling, whether legal or illegal, finds customers in all Asian countries. And Asian governments increasingly believe that the gambling industry attracts huge amounts of capital to the economy and, if properly regulated, can help solve many social and economic problems.

Whatever the fate of the gambling industry in different countries of the continent, the special excitement of Asians remains the key to its continued survival. The inexhaustibility of gambling is probably explained by the cultural specifics of Asian peoples, with their inherent fatal outlook on life. After all, what, if not a sincere belief in fate, can give rise to an irresistible temptation to play with this fate, putting all your fortune on the line on one fateful or beautiful day?!

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