Thailand gives green light to build first casinos despite gambling being illegal

Thailand has given the green light to its first official casinos, despite gambling being illegal.

The country’s new government will move ahead with plans to introduce the casinos after a public hearing showed strong support to create a big entertainment complex offering gambling, a senior official said in a statement on Thursday.

Casinos and most forms of gambling are illegal in Thailand but soccer betting and underground gaming activities and lotteries are rife, with vast sums of money changing hands.

Only some gambling is permitted, such as state-controlled horse races and on an official lottery.

The conclusion of a public hearing conducted online over a bill to establish a “mega entertainment complex” housing a casino showed 80% of participants agreed with the plan, Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat said.

“We will now adjust the bill based on the feedback, discuss this with our coalition partners before sending it cabinet for approval,” Julapun told reporters.

Several Thai governments have pushed to legalise gambling before to try to boost jobs and state revenues and draw more foreign tourists, but each attempt met pushback from conservatives in the Buddhist majority country.

One of its first advocates was influential billionaire former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, whose youngest daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra was sworn in as prime minister last month. Her ally and predecessor, Srettha Thavisin, was the main proponent of the latest casino push but was removed from office by a court decision last month.

The bill is centred on the creation of a broader entertainment complex but its passage would effectively legalise casinos.

In Southeast Asia, Cambodia, Singapore, Myanmar and the Philippines have legalised casinos, some of which are located on the other side of Thailand’s borders, catering overwhelmingly to Thai and Chinese customers, many on weekend junkets.

Paetongtarn’s ruling Pheu Thai Party has argued Thailand has fallen behind its neighbours in the gaming industry. Her father Thaksin is widely seen as a major force behind her government and in a dinner speech last month backed the casino plan, noting the potential benefits from regulating and taxing online gambling and formalising the larger underground economy.