Taiwanese Arrest Election Gamblers
Asian cultures have a long history of gambling intertwined with everyday life, so passing laws making gambling illegal does not stop or even significantly slow the wagering that occurs in the Far East. Taiwan has laws against all forms of gambling other than certain lotteries, but that hasn't prevented betting by the general populace; now the authorities are trying to crack down on election wagering.
Taiwanese often ignore gambling laws to bet at private casinos, on pigeon races, and on lottery drawings and horse races based on Hong Kong. Local police have tried to draw a line as to what is unacceptable with the arrests of five men and three women for taking bets on the upcoming presidential election.
The election, to be held March 22nd, has drawn huge amounts of wagering, with rumors that illegal bookmakers not taking bets for less than 10,000 taiwanese dollars, or roughly $325. The Kuomintang candidate, Ma Ying-jeou, had been favored by 500,000 votes over the Democratic Progressive Party candidate, Frank Hsieh, until recently. However, skirmishes between the ruling Kuomintang police and staffers at Hsieh's campaign headquarters have caused the line to drop to 200,000 votes.
The eight suspects were charged with having booked over $1.63 million in wagers, and were taken into custody along with boxes of betting records and phone equipment.
It is said some see the election becoming so close that wagering on a tie has become a common choice. Perhaps the best play was the middle, getting down early and taking the 500,000 votes and now only laying 200,000 going the other way; a nice bet that could pay both ways, unless your bookie is in jail.
