ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a comparative study of two anti-casino movements, and focuses on how local societies responded to politician-led efforts to legalize the gambling industry. It analyses how the dense interpersonal relationships played a role in the anti-casino movements. The different outcomes of the two anti-casino movements are intriguing as the two offshore islands share many similarities. With the Kuomintang's (KMT's) resumption of power, Taiwan's government added a new clause to the Offshore Islands Development Act, legalizing gambling activities in 2009. From then on casinos could be built on offshore islands as long as the proposal passed a local referendum. The local hostel owners reactivated the opposition network that had first been formed in 2002 and enlarged to the Penghu Anti-Gambling League by the end of 2008. Compared with Penghu, anti-casino activism in Mazu appeared unprepared and inexperienced as it assumed a less confrontational posture in challenging a mightier pro-casino coalition.
