Thailand approves a draft law to legalize casinos

The Thai cabinet has approved a draft bill to legalize gambling and casinos in the country. The Integrated Entertainment Business Act will allow casinos to operate as part of all-in-one resorts. The bill, likely to pass around mid-2025, provided that both the senate and the house of representatives support it, will be sent to parliament 

The Thai cabinet has approved a draft bill to legalize gambling and casinos in the country.

The Integrated Entertainment Business Act will allow casinos to operate as part of all-in-one resorts. The bill, likely to pass around mid-2025, provided that both the senate and the house of representatives support it, will be sent to parliament for further discussions.

As of now, except for certain regulated forms such as state-organized horse racing and the official lottery, gambling in Thailand is mostly banned. However, given the widespread illegal gambling problem taking place in the country, the new law is one of the measures the cabinet intends to take to provide a safe and regulated environment for gambling.

Thailand’s government shared in a statement:

“The purpose of the bill is to increase the efficiency of tourism and promote investment in the country, as well as solve the problem of illegal gambling that currently exists. It will also have a positive effect on society in the future as a whole.”

The proposed bill has some outlined rules for building and running casinos in Thailand:

1. A casino should be a part of a to a large, all-in-one resort. The resort must have not less than four non-gaming attractions such as hotels, stadiums, concert halls, theme parks, restaurants, clubs, or shopping areas. The casino can’t consume more than 5% of the total space within the resorts.
2. Casino licenses will be valid for 30 years. Operators will need to go through a review every five years, with each renewal potentially lasting up to 10 years.
3. Operators that apply for a license must be registered in Thailand and have at least THB10 billion in capital to qualify. Successful applicants will have to pay an upfront fee of THB4.9 billion for the license, plus THB1 billion every year.
4. The bill initially imposes a 17% tax on GGR.

Initially, the government plans to issue five licenses. Two will be for casinos in Bangkok, and one each in Pattaya, Chiang Mai, and Phuket.

A new government body, the Office of the Full-Service Entertainment Regulatory Commission, will be overseeing the gambling market regulations.