It's been nearly a month since the 17th World Cup ended, but the woes of many Thai gamblers who borrowed heaps of money to bet on the games have just begun.

It is debt collection time, and many are trying to find ways to pay up or dodge the debt collectors.

''I lost more than ten thousand baht (US$248) during the tournament,'' says 28- year-old employee Manasawin. A big fan of the Italian team, he started gambling on World Cup games 12 years ago.

''I find it hard to enjoy the matches without gambling, though I lost more than 80 percent of all the money I put for my bets,'' he adds.

The amateur gambler often places bets ranging from 100 to 3,000 baht (US$2.5 to US$75 ) in a match, depending on his assessment of the team's chances of winning and the money he has in hands — or can borrow.

Manasawin, in fact, has a lot of company among Bangkok's 10 million people when it comes to gambling, an activity that is banned in its many forms — from cockfighting to casinos — in this mainly Buddhist country.

According to a poll this month conducted by the Thai Farmers Research Centre (TFRC), more than 58.3 percent of 1,186 Bangkok-resident respondents lost in World Cup gambling.

Unable to repay debts

Manasawin says his gambling debts are still in control, but many of his friends are going around in circles looking for ways to repay their debt.

It is estimated that more than 1 billion baht (about US$25 million) was spent gambling on each semi-final match, and more than three times that went into the Germany-Brazil final in late June.

The TFRC poll also shows that 17.5 percent of those who are in football-related debts are unable to or have no plans of repaying their debt, which totals some 1 billion baht (US$27 million) in Bangkok alone, and up to 5 billion baht (US$124 million dollars) for the whole country.

More than a fourth of those who said they lost in World Cup gambling said they got their money for bets by getting cash advances from theircredit cards — amid a relaxation of bank rules that have made way for a consumer credit card boom in recent months.

''I got money for my bets from many ways — my savings, borrowed from friends and credit cards,'' says Manasawin.

Profits for pawnshops

That is why pawnshops, for instance, happily prepared 10 percent extra cash — or 120 million baht (US$3 million) — in the knowledge that people would flock in during the World Cup to pawn items in exchange for money.

These pawnshops made 36 million baht (US$890,640) extra profits during the last World Cup four years ago.

The local media have been reporting incidents that show the extent to which gamblers find ways to produce the money either to bet, or to settle debts after they lose.

Within the first 24 hours of the Brazil versus Germany final, a man stole 50,000 baht (US$1,238) from an accountant who was exchanging money at City Hall. Upon his arrest, he confessed that he had bet on Germany and needed the money to urgently pay off football gambling debts of 10,000 baht (US$248) as the collector was threatening him with death.

In Roi Et, a north-eastern province 512km from Bangkok, police arrested another man on charges of stealing traffic signs in late June. The man planned to sell them for 20 baht (50 cents) a kilogramme and use the money to repay his 2,000 baht (US$49.50) gambling debt, police said.

Likewise, police this month arrested two men who were trying to force a businessman to sign a 10 million baht (US$247,413) cheque, in order to raise money to pay their debts.

Police officials say they are on the lookout for gambling-related crimes, especially robberies and thefts, in the weeks and months after the World Cup. Under close watch are 24-hour shopping outlets and business with large cash in circulation such as banks, jewellery shops and petrol stations.

Unable to repay debts

Figures from the Royal Thai Police show that 1,148 people were arrested for involvement in gambling between May 31 and June 29. Of these, 516 were suspected bookmakers and 632 were gamblers. More than 3 million baht(US$74,300) in cash was seized along with numerous cell phones and other betting related equipment in these arrests.

''Those who are threatened or abused because of their debts should come to the police. Trying to get money illegally will even make the problem worse,'' says Interior Minister Purachai Piumsombun.

Of course, it is best not to get involved in gambling at all, says the minister, who has led 'social order' crackdowns on night entertainment places to discourage other ills like drug use.

Football gambling has become so common, especially when big games by foreign leagues are playing, and difficult to control, that some people are suggesting that it be legalised.

But ''many careful studies and public hearings are required before we can talk about legalising this gambling,'' says Dr Nualnoi Treerat, director of the Political Economy Centre at Chulalongkorn University.

She says that addressing the problem can be done not only by looking into the amount of money wasted on gambling, but the social ills it brings — ranging from misappropriation of money, crime and pressure from debts that sometimes leads to suicide.

Willing to risk

She says gamblers are often willing to risk a lot with the aim of getting huge profits, so ''they simply don't care if it is legal or not''.

''It is urgent to prevent youth from mixing up sport with gambling. Everyone, including parents, teachers and police have to keep close watch on them. Most of all, parents must act as role models for their children,'' she adds.

But that might be easier than said than done. Many say a bit of gambling adds to the fun of sports — and many Thais end up betting on other sports like horse racing or 'Muay Thai' or Thai boxing.

But Manasawin, who says he does not indulge in any other form of gambling apart from that linked to football, looks at things matter-of-factly, saying he survived the World Cup gambling episode without too much financial damage.

''I'm glad I didn't invest much on gambling this year,'' says Manasawin, smiling. But ''I think I will bet again in 2006 World Cup in Germany.Sorry, but gambling has already become part of my enjoying the game.'' — IPS