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Organized crime?

#1 User is offline   helene_t 

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Posted 2016-February-04, 08:14

A 50-officer strong police team raids a bridge club after having been given a hint that there are people there who exceed the maximum number of playing cards (100) which you are allowed to possess in Thailand. Watch out, udcadenny and other Thai bridge players.

http://www.thaivisa....m_campaign=news
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#2 User is offline   billw55 

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Posted 2016-February-04, 08:35

I read that too. Makes me consider removing Thailand from my list of potential vacation spots. You can be arrested for having more than 120 cards? Some of my custom games have more cards than that - will Ticket to Ride land me in the slammer? And I don't want to think about what I might be charged with for carrying a backgammon set.
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#3 User is offline   Vampyr 

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Posted 2016-February-04, 09:34

Do the Thai authorities still believe that playing cards are the Devil's tramtickets, then?
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#4 User is offline   barmar 

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Posted 2016-February-04, 10:23

Yeah, they apparently have very archaic laws that equate almost all card playing to gambling.

From http://www.onlinebet...legal/thailand/

Quote

The primary law that regulates gambling in Thailand is the Gambling Act, B.E. 2478 (1935). If you click that link you will see there are 46 ministerial regulations, 16 legal opinions of Council of State and a Royal Decree all related to this law.

There are also many separate laws relating to gambling. One example is the Playing Cards Act, B.E. 2486 (1943) which makes owning, manufacturing and selling playing cards a crime. Furthermore, the Anti-Money Laundering Act, B.E. 2542 (1999) strengthens our anti-gambling law in certain cases.


He goes on to say that despite this, around 70% of Thai people are regular gamblers.

#5 User is offline   wank 

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Posted 2016-February-04, 10:48

i was wondering where TheHog had disappeared to.
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#6 User is offline   wanoff 

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Posted 2016-February-04, 12:41

How many police officers does it take to arrest a pack of cards ?
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#7 User is offline   neilkaz 

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Posted 2016-February-04, 13:24

Hard to believe that it really is the 21st century.
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#8 User is offline   helene_t 

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Posted 2016-February-05, 02:41

Apparently the policie officers have some personal interests in arresting relatively well-oof foreigners who have the money to pay the bribes. Or it may be a relatively easy way to meet their quota for crackdowns on gambling.
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#9 User is offline   campboy 

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Posted 2016-February-05, 04:10

 wanoff, on 2016-February-04, 12:41, said:

How many police officers does it take to arrest a pack of cards ?

"All persons more than a mile high to leave the court."
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#10 User is offline   barmar 

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Posted 2016-February-05, 10:07

One of the affected players has posted an article about his ordeal on Bridge Winners.

http://bridgewinners...ridge-criminal/

#11 User is offline   ggwhiz 

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Posted 2016-February-05, 13:41

 barmar, on 2016-February-05, 10:07, said:

One of the affected players has posted an article about his ordeal on Bridge Winners.

http://bridgewinners...ridge-criminal/


And it's a very entertaining read.
When a deaf person goes to court is it still called a hearing?
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#12 User is offline   oryctolagi 

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Posted 2016-February-06, 11:55

As is the video ... looks like one of the cops has had a few too many green curries, there...

Seriously, what are the risks of this sort of thing happening, when visiting one of these far-off places? Mrs O and I are off to Indonesia in a few weeks' time. Not to play bridge - still you've got us worried...
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#13 User is offline   eagles123 

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Posted 2016-February-07, 10:51

My partner gave me the wrong response to b.ackwood the other day so I'd like him to be arrested... Any Thai police about?
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#14 User is offline   billw55 

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Posted 2016-February-07, 12:31

Actually, reading Avon's article, it does sound like a shakedown to me. Licenses, permits, tax stamps, bail, fines. That is, up until someone important showed up to advocate for the targets, at which point the situation changed dramatically.
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#15 User is offline   1eyedjack 

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Posted 2016-February-07, 13:17

So what is the excise duty to stamp a pack of cards in Thailand?
Psych (pron. saik): A gross and deliberate misstatement of honour strength and/or suit length. Expressly permitted under Law 73E but forbidden contrary to that law by Acol club tourneys.

Psyche (pron. sahy-kee): The human soul, spirit or mind (derived, personification thereof, beloved of Eros, Greek myth).
Masterminding (pron. mPosted ImagesPosted ImagetPosted Imager-mPosted ImagendPosted Imageing) tr. v. - Any bid made by bridge player with which partner disagrees.

"Gentlemen, when the barrage lifts." 9th battalion, King's own Yorkshire light infantry,
2000 years earlier: "morituri te salutant"

"I will be with you, whatever". Blair to Bush, precursor to invasion of Iraq
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#16 User is offline   Fluffy 

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Posted 2016-February-07, 17:21

I know little about Asian countries, but my understanding is that gambling is a serious problem for them.
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#17 User is offline   Trinidad 

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Posted 2016-February-08, 08:08

We may laugh about this as silly Thai stuff. However, I remember that the exact same thing happened in the USA only about 20 years ago.

IIRC, the story was described in the ACBL bulletin. During the police raid score cards and pencils were confiscated.

Rik
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#18 User is offline   helene_t 

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Posted 2016-February-08, 08:19

 Trinidad, on 2016-February-08, 08:08, said:

We may laugh about this as silly Thai stuff. However, I remember that the exact same thing happened in the USA only about 20 years ago.

IIRC, the story was described in the ACBL bulletin. During the police raid score cards and pencils were confiscated.

Rik

I found a 1972 reference from Canada: https://news.google....99,487144&hl=en
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#19 User is offline   1eyedjack 

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Posted 2016-February-08, 08:57

Heh. Duplicate bridge may not be "gambling", but I seldom play in a duplicate event without some side wagers with friends. I still remember the shock on my lol opponent's face when I missed a difficult end position and muttered, "damn, that's just cost me £25".

Better be careful from now on.
Psych (pron. saik): A gross and deliberate misstatement of honour strength and/or suit length. Expressly permitted under Law 73E but forbidden contrary to that law by Acol club tourneys.

Psyche (pron. sahy-kee): The human soul, spirit or mind (derived, personification thereof, beloved of Eros, Greek myth).
Masterminding (pron. mPosted ImagesPosted ImagetPosted Imager-mPosted ImagendPosted Imageing) tr. v. - Any bid made by bridge player with which partner disagrees.

"Gentlemen, when the barrage lifts." 9th battalion, King's own Yorkshire light infantry,
2000 years earlier: "morituri te salutant"

"I will be with you, whatever". Blair to Bush, precursor to invasion of Iraq
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#20 User is offline   ggwhiz 

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Posted 2016-February-08, 12:22

 helene_t, on 2016-February-08, 08:19, said:

I found a 1972 reference from Canada: https://news.google....99,487144&hl=en


Many moons ago a Toronto club was facing a gaming house charge (there was rubber bridge for reasonable stakes going on) and Eric Murray defended them in court.

He told the judge: Bridge is a game of skill the way I play it but a game of luck the way YOU do. They lost.
When a deaf person goes to court is it still called a hearing?
What is baby oil made of?
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