Since 2014, the proposals have been given fresh momentum, with backing in 2016 from senior government and police officials. Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra led an initial plan to legalize a casino in Pattaya before he was ousted by the military in a 2006 coup. I’m quite sure that Thailand will have a legal casino, they will have in the near future,” Visanu told VOA.Ī series of governments over the past decade set out plans to legalize casinos. So the government will dare to make a decision about this. When the election passes it means the government has the rights of the.
“After the election this issue will be raised again. Visanu Vongsinsirikul, a lecturer in economics at Dhurakij Pandit University, and a specialist in the gaming industry, said a decision on casino gambling is likely after the next general elections, expected in late 2018.
Gambling in Thailand is officially banned, apart from the state-run lottery and betting on horses at the Bangkok Turf Club but, illegal betting and underground casinos have proliferated. More than 80 years after Thailand introduced gambling laws, analysts say the nation is betting on legalizing casinos in hopes of boosting tourism and being a player in regional casino development.
