Thailand's Cabinet Agrees To The Draft Law On Legislating Gambling

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra / PHOTO via Instagram @ingshin21

JAKARTA - The Thai Cabinet approved a bill that would legalize gambling and casinos. This policy is a step aimed at increasing tourism, job and investment.

Under the government's plan, laws that will be sent to parliament for discussion will regulate gambling to occur in large-scale entertainment complexes.

Casinos and most forms of gambling are illegal in Thailand, but soccer bets, underground gaming activities, and lottery are widespread.

Only certain gamblings are allowed, such as horse racing controlled by the state and official lottery.

Its neighboring countries, Cambodia, Singapore, the Philippines, Laos, and Myanmar have benefited from a large casino complex.

The Thai government believes the absence of an official casino means the country is ignoring revenue and is not achieving its tourism potential.

Tourism is the second-largest major driver of the economy in Southeast Asia and Thailand estimates the number of visitors will hit record highs in the next few years.

"Legalization will protect the public and will also generate more state revenue," Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra told reporters.

The Thai government had previously made efforts to legalize and regulate gambling to improve the economy.

But every such effort faced the rejection of the conservative group in the Buddhist-majority country.

This latest move could lead to the number of foreign visitors growing 5 percent to 10 percent and tourism revenue increasing by around 120 billion baht to 220 billion baht (US $ 3.45 billion to US $ 6.32 billion), said Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat.