I BET YOU'LL READ THIS

Matt and Teresa both left comments yesterday that relate to a similar subject - gambling and other things that are banned in Thailand. I'll deal with the issue of trying to place a bet now and leave the whole 'other' issue until next week. That's a major subject and will probably be an eye-opener for many people not familiar with the Kingdom.
Back to gambling. The lottery (which is drawn today - I have two tickets so wish me luck) is the only form of legalised gambling allowed in the country. That said, a lot of Thais will bet on the outcome of football matches with underground bookmakers. Often on television there will be pictures of a raid where money, recepits and ledgers are recovered and the culprits paraded as an example to others.
As a foreigner living here I am not allowed to place bets. A lot of the gambling related sites (Ladbrokes, William Hill, etc) are blocked (or censored) by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, and if you can find one that isn't blocked then your credit or debit card will not be accepted when you come to deposit funds into your account.
There is a growing voice to allow legalised and controlled gambling because of the revenue it would generate for the country. The argument against is that many Thais don't really have the necessary self control to know when enough it enough, and the resulting damage when it becomes and addiction. That's already proved by the problems caused by illegal gambling.