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Gambling, other than betting on horse races or the government-sponsored Thai lottery, is prohibited in Thailand. [1] The prohibition dates back to the Gambling Act 1935. [2] The Playing Cards Act prohibits private ownership of more than 120 playing cards without approval of the government. Nevertheless, illegal gambling in casinos (Thai: บ่อนการพนัน) and other forms of gambling still exist in Bangkok and some provincial towns. [3]
Gambling has long been a feature of Thai society. Local Siamese partook in more than 100 well known gambling games. [4] Some gambling forms such as betting on cockfights, bullfights and boat races are native to Siamese culture. [4]
The late-19th century marked a significant increase in the level of gambling in Siam. People started to gamble more frequently and a variety of games were introduced from foreign traders and immigrants, and gambling started to hit the mainstream. It was during that period that the Huay lottery was introduced from China and became popular in Siam. [4]
Over the course of decades the Government of Thailand allowed legal gambling dens. During the reign of King Rama III, the Government of Thailand promoted legal gambling dens as a source of revenue. These legal dens were then closed down to dampen criminal activity and bankruptcy related to gambling. During the reign of King Rama V gambling was forbidden in the south and all the remaining gambling venues were closed on 1 April 1917.
A gambling act was first passed in 1930 and revised in 1935. During the premiership of Khuang Aphaiwong, the ministry of finance was assigned by the government to legalize gambling in Pran Buri District, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province and became an official promoter of gambling. However, this period of legalization of casinos did not last long. Under attack from the media and public, the government abandoned the attempt to earn additional revenue from casinos and prohibited gambling once again. [4]
In 2024, lawmakers in Thailand started to back efforts to legalize casino gambling in the country, claiming that casino resorts could generate up to $12 billion in tourism revenue. [5] The legalization of casino gambling would expand gambling beyond horse racing. It is hoped that legalization would curtail illicit gambling while increasing revenue for the economy. [6] The Prime Minister of Thailand, Srettha Thavisin also backs the efforts, stating that it would create jobs and help the economy. [7] Las Vegas Sands has publicly expressed interest in the Thai market. [8]
The Thai government is planning to propose that casino space take up no more than 5% of the space in any integrated resort or complex that is built which includes a casino. [9]
Despite laws against gambling, illegal casinos are widespread in Thailand. The first large-scale gambling houses were established in Ayutthaya by the government in the late-17th century or early-18th century as a result of the steady growth of Chinese population. During the 19th century the number of gambling houses grew in tandem with the population of Chinese immigrants. To promote the settlement and taxation of the Chinese population in Thailand, the Thai government turned a blind eye to gambling among Chinese immigrants. As a result of this inadvertent endorsement, local Siamese were encouraged to gamble as well. After the gambling act was first passed in 1930 casinos were banned completely and gambling was prohibited in Thai society. [3]
The lottery was introduced to Thailand by Chinese immigrants in 1820. Commonly known to the local as "huay", the term is a direct translation of Chinese word huā (Chinese:花) :flower. In the beginning huay was mainly played among the community of Chinese immigrants in Thailand. It was then officially established during the reign of King Rama III to stimulate the circulation of currency as well as to generate national revenue. [3]
In the reign of King Rama VI, the government introduced lottery draws as a device for tax collection. In 1939 the government of Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram set up the Lottery Bureau to organize a regular monthly draw in Thailand. It was then extended to twice a month in 1989. Draws normally happen twice a month on the 1st and 16th. There are a total of 38 million tickets per round. 28 percent of the sales value of the lottery ticket is retained as government revenue, 12 percent in administration and management and 60 percent is returned to players as prizes. [3]
Football betting is the most recent form of illegal gambling in Thailand. As a result of technological advancements such as online transactions, satellite TV, Internet, and mobile phone betting systems, football gambling has become widespread among Thais. During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, over 1,700 people were arrested for gambling offences. [4]
Online gambling is illegal in Thailand. In 2020, as a part of a campaign against online casinos, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society began to cooperate with other state agencies to block websites that provide such services. According to the ministry, more than 1 billion baht ($32 million) pass through these sites every year. [10] During a raid in October 2020, the largest group of people in the history of the country, who owned an online casino, was arrested. According to the head of the national police, the group used 38 bank accounts, spending through them at least 15 billion baht ($480m). Later on, 190 websites were blocked, mostly online casinos and porn sites, including Pornhub. This ban sparked a wave of protests and accusations of censorship. [11]
Thai society has long frowned on gambling. In Buddhism, gambling is one of four vices which lead to ruin. In Thai, this concept is known as abaiyamuk (อบายมุข), the "portals of hell". For the layperson, gambling is something to be avoided if one wishes to be free from suffering. Thai people often cite an old proverb: "Ten burglaries leave you with a house, ten fires leave you with a land, but gambling once leave you nothing." (Thai : โจรปล้น 10 ครั้ง ยังเหลือบ้าน ไฟไหม้บ้าน 10 ครั้ง ยังเหลือที่ดิน เล่นการพนันครั้งเดียว ไม่เหลืออะไรสักอย่าง) which reflects the variety of social problems associated with gambling in Thai culture. This may include violent crime, financial problems, and addiction. Despite the prohibition, gambling still remains a major part of Thai life. Thais often gamble in various ceremonies and festivals. According to Alan Klima's study of funeral casinos in present-day Thailand, gambling is used as an attraction for people to keep the deceased spirit company. [4]
There are only a few psychological services available to those addicted, such as Ministry of Public Health's Center of Gambling Studies. For Thais, gambling—including lotteries, casinos, football betting and other variants—are viewed as entertainment. Very few seek treatment from medical professionals as Thais often view gambling as a social problem rather than a medical issue. [4]
Gambling in Macau has been legal since the 1850s when the Portuguese government legalised the activity in the autonomous colony. Since then, Macau has become known worldwide as the "Gambling capital of the world". It is the only place in China where casino gambling is legal.
Online gambling is any kind of gambling conducted on the internet. This includes virtual poker, casinos, and sports betting. The first online gambling venue opened to the general public was ticketing for the Liechtenstein International Lottery in October 1994. Today, the market is worth around $40 billion globally each year, according to various estimates.
Gambling in the United Kingdom is regulated by the Gambling Commission on behalf of the government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) under the Gambling Act 2005. This Act of Parliament significantly updated the UK's gambling laws, including the introduction of a new structure of protections for children and vulnerable adults, as well as bringing the burgeoning Internet gaming sector within British regulation for the first time.
In the United States, gambling is subject to a variety of legal restrictions. In 2008, gambling activities generated gross revenues of $92.27 billion in the United States.
Mobile gambling refers to playing games of chance or skill for money by using a remote device such as a tablet computer, smartphone or a mobile phone with a wireless internet connection. Over a hundred mobile casinos were operating as of December 2013, with most of the big casino operators in gambling now providing a mobile platform for their player base.
The British Columbia Lottery Corporation is a Canadian Crown corporation that manages all legal gambling products in British Columbia including lottery tickets, casinos and online gambling. It is based in Kamloops, with a secondary office in Vancouver. It consists of three business units: Lottery, Casino and eGaming. Its annual revenues exceed CDN $1.6 billion. It has 890 direct employees. Its service providers, who run casinos on its behalf under contract, have an additional 8,300 employees.
Gambling in India varies by state; states in India are entitled to formulate their own laws for gambling activities. Some states like Goa have legalised casinos. Common gambling activities like organized betting are restricted except for selective categories including lottery and horse racing.
Gambling in South Africa has been heavily restricted since 1673, with South Africa's Gambling Act of 1965 officially banning all forms of gambling except betting on horse racing which existed as a sporting activity.
Gambling in Pennsylvania includes casino gambling, the Pennsylvania Lottery, horse racing, bingo, and small games of chance conducted by nonprofit organizations and taverns under limited circumstances. Although casino gaming has been legal for less than two decades, Pennsylvania is second only to Nevada in commercial casino revenues.
Gambling in New Jersey includes casino gambling in Atlantic City, the New Jersey Lottery, horse racing, off-track betting, charity gambling, amusement games, and social gambling. New Jersey's gambling laws are among the least restrictive in the United States. In 2013, the state began to allow in-state online gambling. Five years later in 2018, the state won a lawsuit that dismantled Nevada's monopoly on legal sports betting.
Gambling in Italy has existed for centuries and has taken on many forms. Its dates back to the days of the Roman Empire, when the predecessor of the modern game of backgammon, Ludus Duodecim Scriptorum, became popular among Roman legionnaires. It is also due to them that the game came to other European countries.
Gambling in Taiwan is prohibited by the Criminal Code of the Republic of China. State-run lotteries, like the Uniform Invoice lottery, are the only legal form of gambling on mainland Taiwan. The construction of casinos on some off-shore islands was legalized in 2009, though to date none have been built. Some gambling-style games are allowed either on special days or under special restricted circumstances.
Gambling in Turkey is highly regulated. Turkey banned casinos in 1998, and it banned non-state online gambling in 2006. A state lottery and betting services exists, however, and has some online gambling, and illegal gambling continues to persist.
Gambling has been present in the Philippines since at least the sixteenth century. Various legal and illegal forms of gambling are found almost all over the archipelago. The government manages gambling through the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) a state-owned enterprise which both operates a number of individual casinos and in turn acts as a regulator to privately owned casino operators. Since 2016 PAGCOR has also granted operating licenses and overseen the regulation of growing online gambling sector serving offshore markets. Casino gambling and integrated resorts have become a key component of the Philippines appeal as a tourist destination with more than twenty casinos found in Metro Manila alone.
Gambling in China is illegal under Chinese law and has been officially outlawed since the Communist Party took power in 1949. Any form of gambling by Chinese citizens, including online-gambling, gambling overseas, opening casinos overseas to attract citizens of China as primary customers, is considered illegal. In practice however, Chinese citizens participate in state-run lotteries, regularly travel to legal gambling centers overseas or in the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau and access gaming through offshore based proxy betting and online gambling companies.
Gambling in Cambodia is officially illegal under the 1996 Law on Suppression of Gambling, which outlawed all unauthorized forms of gambling and provided for penalties ranging from monetary fines to short prison sentences, although the Cambodian government's General Department of Prisons does not list gambling as one of the 28 offenses punishable by imprisonment.
Gambling in Vietnam is illegal and has been for centuries. A late 1940s travelogue notes that merchants kept bowls of dice at their stalls to engage in gambling with their customers when “housewives would routinely bet on the days their horoscope was fortunate", which means that on slightly more than fifty percent of such occasions they return home empty-handed and with the housekeeping money gone."
The history of gambling in the United States covers gambling and gaming since the colonial period. The overall theme is one of a general lack of formal regulation, giving way by degrees to widespread prohibition by the early 20th century, followed by a loosening of restrictions in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Gambling in Brazil has several legal restrictions. Casinos have been considered illegal in Brazil and considered a criminal misdemeanour since 1946, by a decree signed by President Eurico Gaspar Dutra, who would have been influenced by his wife Carmela Teles Dutra, who was known for her strong religiosity to Catholic Church. However, horse betting and sports betting are legal in Brazil. Since 1967, the state-owned bank Caixa Econômica Federal have the monopoly on the exploitation of lotteries in Brazil.
Thai Chana is an online registration system and closed database for public establishments to record their visitors as a government's plan to combat COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand. The database is available only to the Ministry of Public Health's Department of Disease Control in order to track, trace and restrict the visitors who may later be infected.
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