At about 5:30 a.m. today, I received a paid order for 500 Key West chips. I checked the details and found two surprises: a record-breaking string of consonants in the customer's last name, and an address in Bangkok, Thailand.
I've never shipped anything to Thailand. For some reason, Paypal did not charge shipping for this package, so I tried to e-mail the customer. The e-mail connected to his Paypal account was not valid, and got kicked back. His Paypal address was not verified. "Not good signs," I thought.
Checking a bit further, I found that casino chips -- and just about all other gaming items -- are strictly prohibited in Thailand. No chips. No roulette wheels. No layouts. And really, really no dice. There's even some question as to whether a Thai can buy a deck of playing cards. (Apparently, you can own a deck, but can't sell one or use it to gamble.) And you can't ship cards into the country.
There is a long history of gambling, and the prohibition of gambling, in the country. Past kings have allowed or banned -- but mostly banned -- gambling in the kingdom, including today. There is also a deep cultural and religious issue with gambling in Thailand, and a Buddhist proverb warns against gambling as ten times worse than death.
As you might expect, the Thai people love to gamble. Apparently, they bet on just about anything, including illegal cock fights, kickboxing matches, and even the trivial details of government ceremonies. There are said to be many, many illegal underground casinos in the country.
But for my purposes, the order is null and void, as the chips would never make it past customs and would likely be destroyed.
Sadly, there will not be a 500-chip set of Key Wests in Bangkok.
This leads me to wonder: Do we have any members on PCF hailing from Thailand? Has anyone here visited? Did you see or hear about gambling there, or even take part?
I've never shipped anything to Thailand. For some reason, Paypal did not charge shipping for this package, so I tried to e-mail the customer. The e-mail connected to his Paypal account was not valid, and got kicked back. His Paypal address was not verified. "Not good signs," I thought.
Checking a bit further, I found that casino chips -- and just about all other gaming items -- are strictly prohibited in Thailand. No chips. No roulette wheels. No layouts. And really, really no dice. There's even some question as to whether a Thai can buy a deck of playing cards. (Apparently, you can own a deck, but can't sell one or use it to gamble.) And you can't ship cards into the country.
There is a long history of gambling, and the prohibition of gambling, in the country. Past kings have allowed or banned -- but mostly banned -- gambling in the kingdom, including today. There is also a deep cultural and religious issue with gambling in Thailand, and a Buddhist proverb warns against gambling as ten times worse than death.
As you might expect, the Thai people love to gamble. Apparently, they bet on just about anything, including illegal cock fights, kickboxing matches, and even the trivial details of government ceremonies. There are said to be many, many illegal underground casinos in the country.
But for my purposes, the order is null and void, as the chips would never make it past customs and would likely be destroyed.
Sadly, there will not be a 500-chip set of Key Wests in Bangkok.
This leads me to wonder: Do we have any members on PCF hailing from Thailand? Has anyone here visited? Did you see or hear about gambling there, or even take part?
