Lawmakers in Thailand will study legal gaming in the country, according to local media. Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, who is personally opposed to gaming, is nonetheless willing to consider the matter and weigh the risks and benefits.
Thailand has considered legal gambling in the past, but draft bills have gone nowhere. Gambling is strictly forbidden with the exception of the state lottery and horse racing. At the same time, the country is considered ripe with possibility for a legal, regulated industry, and in the past, no less than the Las Vegas Sands Corp. has proposed an integrated resort in Thailand.
According to AGB Nippon, lawmakers are reevaluating the situation following an outbreak of Covid-19 that’s been linked to illegal gambling dens. They’re also aware that illegal gambling is big business in Thailand, and will go on with or without their sanction.
Gen Prayut, chairman of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration agrees that it’s time to look at legal gambling, reported the Bangkok Post. He has approved the formation of two committees the assess the situation in Thailand. One will look into the illegal gambling trade and the other will investigate how illegal border crossings are handled. Both will work with the Anti-Money Laundering Office to track the flow of illegal funds.
Minority politicians have also been calling for the market to be opened with Mongkolkit Suksintharanon, leader of the minority Thai Civilized Party, last summer suggesting that legalization could bring in about THB6 billion (US$200 million) in tax revenue.
According to Inside Asian Gaming, Thailand is one of only three ASEAN nations without legal casinos, along with Indonesia and Brunei, though as many as half of its adult population is estimated to gamble illegally. With a population of almost 70 million, Thailand is the world’s 20th most populous country.
If casinos are legalized in Thailand, it would be a blow for casinos in the bordering countries of Cambodia and Laos, which rely heavily on traffic from Thailand.
