Thailand’s new Prime Minister, Anutin Chanvirakul, has reaffirmed his negative stance on gambling. Last week, he revoked a July decision that had recognized poker as a sport.
Chanvirakul has been a consistent critic of the previous government’s plans to legalize land-based casinos in the country. On October 22, he signed an executive order canceling permits for poker tournaments and traditional Thai card games known as “Pai Phae.” This effectively extinguished even faint hopes for the revival of the integrated resorts bill.
In July, an order from the Ministry of Interior lifted the 1958 ban on poker tournaments, allowing the game to be recognized as a sport under the supervision of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT). This move was aimed at promoting tourism by hosting poker events such as the World Poker Tour exhibition held in August.
However, Chanvirakul was damning of the previous decision.
He told the media after the signing: “We will not promote any form of gambling. Our focus remains on ethical growth, tourism that benefits all, and policies aligned with national welfare.”
Despite the government’s actions to limit legal gambling, the illegal gambling market remains a serious problem for the authorities.
Earlier, the Pattaya Mail reported that Chaichanok Chidchob, Minister of Digital Economy and Society, had been offered a 40 million baht bribe (around £910,000) to halt enforcement against online gambling and money laundering operations.
At the same time, various government agencies reported over 100 arrests connected to illegal gambling activities, which are believed to generate more than 17 billion baht (around £387 million) annually.
It is estimated that more than 34.5 million Thais participate in gambling – both illegally and through the legal state lottery. The illegal sector is valued at approximately 1.1 trillion baht (around £22.8 billion) per year.
Although Chanvirakul rejects the idea of using gambling as a tool for economic growth, the scale of the black market indicates that the government is missing out on significant tax revenues. Some industry representatives believe this factor will eventually become too large to ignore.
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