Online Baccarat is rapidly becoming one of the most "money-sucking" games in Thailand's online gambling scene, and its underlying harms are gradually evolving into an uncontrollable social crisis. Thanakorn Khongkrit, a well-known Thai commentator, recently wrote on social media, focusing on the core idea of "the more you gamble, the poorer you get," revealing the traps and truths behind this "popular game," sparking deep public reflection.
Thanakorn noted that he has encountered numerous cases related to online Baccarat, one of which still sighs deeply: a young couple, originally stable in their relationship, ended up with a broken family and debt-ridden due to the wife's addiction to Baccarat. This is not an isolated case, but a real script repeatedly played out in many Thai families.
Why is online Baccarat so deadly?
Thanakorn summarized four addictive features of Baccarat:
Available anytime: Just need a smartphone and internet, almost no technical barriers.
Fast wins and losses: Each round is short, the pace is fast, the excitement is intense, very easy to get hooked.
Strong anonymity: Players can hide their identity and money flow, making it difficult for police to track and families to detect.
Widespread promotion: From friends, relatives, social media influencers to Telegram groups, infiltration is everywhere.
Many people mistakenly think they are just "playing occasionally," but the fast win-loss mechanism of Baccarat combined with the "break-even mentality" makes gamblers easily fall into a vicious cycle of continuous betting and constant losses.
More deceptively, unlike pure luck games like slot machines, Baccarat is often packaged as a "skill-based" gambling form. Many players thus embark on the path of buying betting formulas and joining so-called "teaching communities," attempting to crack the casino system with regularities.
But Thanakorn warns: The so-called "Baccarat masters," "AI prediction software," "real battle teaching" are mostly scams. He reveals that these traps often create trust through authoritative rhetoric, but in reality, they are traps for gamblers to be "harvested" again. "They don't want you to win, they just want you to lose slower and longer, until you are bankrupt."
Who are the real victims of gambling?
In Thanakorn's view, the core mechanism of online gambling is not for entertainment, but to "squeeze every penny out of players." The algorithms of games like Baccarat are inherently biased towards the casino, coupled with the platform's rake mechanism, opaque odds, and false performance displays, it is almost impossible for ordinary people to profit in the long run.
Gambling platforms use high-frequency stimulation, complex marketing strategies, and human weaknesses to create a systemic trap that people cannot extricate themselves from. And the victims are often the ordinary people at the bottom of society, who become the "fuel" for the platforms under economic and psychological pressures.
Gambling is not an individual's failure, it is the absence of the state
"Asking gamblers to self-regulate has never been a solution." Thanakorn calls for the government to no longer shirk its responsibility with the "adults are accountable for themselves" approach, but to establish systematic regulatory and intervention mechanisms. He emphasizes:
Legalization of gambling must be based on a well-established protection system;
The state must strictly investigate illegal platforms, especially transnational online gambling groups;
At the same time, psychological support hotlines should be established, public education promoted, and marketing infiltration restricted to prevent teenagers from falling into the gambling mire.
Thanakorn sharply points out that some policymakers view "developing the gambling industry" as a means of economic stimulation, attempting to generate revenue through gambling, covering up other policy failures, which itself is a "big gamble" on the nation's future.
"Gambling is not a shortcut to wealth, but the beginning of societal collapse," he sternly warns, "Allowing online Baccarat to proliferate is not only leading the people towards poverty but also disintegrating the social structure of the nation."
