Political Culture and Illegal Lottery Policy in Central Region Urban Communities of Thailand

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to study the political culture and illegal lottery policy in central region urban communities of Thailand. The study utilized qualitative research method such as documentary research and in-depth interview to collect data and used content analysis for data conclusion. The research was according to the 7 concepts of political culture and examined with the government’s policy of illegal lottery solution. The finding were 1) the citizens appeared to be dissatisfied with policy 80-baht lottery, and thought that the policy could not abolish illegal lottery 2) they were not involved in the policy formulation, consequently, when the policy adoption started, people disagreed and felt malcontent 3) they suspected the operation of government because they believed that the government manipulated ambiguously, and could not be investigated 4) there usually were conflicts due to the competition between lottery vendors 5) people somewhat suspected legal process, however, the government respected laws 6) hosts of lottery gamble or the players wanted the illegal lottery to be legalized 7) the hosts and players realized that they could not resolve, change, or develop the problem since it was too difficult. In analyzing illegal lottery policy implementation of Prayut Chan-o-cha government, the study found that 1) in terms of attitude towards the policy, people lacked awareness of the process, 2) in terms of public support, people rarely support the policy, and 3) in terms of understanding the benefits received and potential disadvantages, the benefits of the policy were not correspond to their comprehension nor precisely resolve the problems.