Thailand’s government is considering drafting a casino bill and, if approved by parliament, such a regulation would generate more jobs and revenue and allow for the creation of a mega entertainment project, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said last Friday ( 05).
There are even underground casinos in Thailand
Casinos are currently illegal in Thailand and the only gambling allowed is state-controlled horse racing and lotteries. But there is a lot of illegal gambling, with clandestine casinos and abundant sports betting.
Thailand is the second largest economy in Southeast Asia. Therefore, allowing casinos could be a means of attracting more investment and increasing tourism. Last Thursday night (04), they approved a study that includes this proposal.
Many in the industry believe that regulating casinos in Thailand would be a huge success and would attract even more foreign visitors. This would cause stiff competition for one of the world’s largest gambling centers, Macau, the only place in China where citizens can legally gamble in casinos.
“We can regulate the parallel economy and collect taxes… We don’t want to promote gambling, but we prefer to supervise it and use investment to create jobs,” Srettha said in a post on X.
But the legalization of gambling discussed in the past failed to move forward due to public opposition. There are underground casinos in Thailand, but large numbers of people travel to neighboring Cambodia and other places to visit huge casino complexes. It is precisely these revenues that gambling defenders say could be maintained in the country.
Thus, the proposed entertainment complex, the location of which Srettha did not disclose, would have a concert hall and a sports venue. In addition, of course, to a games room, although this represented only 3% to 10% of the total area, according to the prime minister.
Therefore, the Cabinet would have to present a bill to parliament for consideration, Srettha concluded.
