Thais can bet on the lottery, but dumping a few baht in an arcade machine to win a stuffed animal is seen as illegal gambling in Thailand.
The rules may not be logical, but Pattaya police said they had to enforce them anyway when they seized three “claw” machines at the Tree Town Market on Soi Buakhao Dec. 11.
Both Thais and foreigner were trying their luck with the machines outside the restrooms. Users must pilot a crane arm and pick up the toy with the metal claw, then drop it in the exit chute.
A Cambodian man named Kwang was in charge of the machines and was taken in on charges of operating gambling machines.
Meanwhile, hawkers selling tens of thousands of baht in lottery tickets went unmolested at the market.
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