Bangfai/Rocket Gambling: from Isan Culture to illegal gambling

Bangfai/Rocket Gambling:
From Isan culture to illegal gambling[1]

Pinwadee Srisupun[2]


Abstract

Bangfai gambling is happening in Isan as integrating activities in Bangfai/rocket tradition for a long time. However, recently there has been a lot of gambling at rocket festival with enormous amounts of money. This paper presents how people gamble at rocket festival. A village in One Isan Province is used as an example.

Gambling promoters use traditional Bangfai ceremonies to conduct their illegal Business. The most successful promoters are advertised by word of amount and by VCD. Political activity is part of this gambling organizing.

However, Bangfai gambling here is not seen only in negatives, but also positives, because of gambling promotion are a new occupation for local people. Not only is the business group benefit, but also whole village is benefit as verbal agreement. This gambling also is not only responded to Isan people who like rocket individually but also give them incomes using as mainly expenditures in their household.


Keywords: Rocket Festival, gamble, Isan, Traditional Culture Business

[1] This paper is a part of the dissertation entitled “Structural Transformation of Bun Bangfai Rocket Festival in Globalization”. Paper preparing to present at International Conference on"Changing Ways of Life of Ethnicities in the Mekong Region" 11-12 November 2010 Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand
[2] PhD candidate in Sociology, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.