Party leader: Thailand could be losing trillions of baht each year because of its gambling laws

[webfact]

Thai Local Power Party leader and member of the House of Representatives, Chutchawan Kong-u-dom, came out this week, arguing passionately for the liberalisation of Thailand’s gambling laws. He is campaigning for a change to include casinos designed to enhance the foreign tourism trade and usher in a more open regime to include online gambling. Mr Chutchawan said he fears that the kingdom could be losing trillions of baht every year and consequently exporting jobs.

 

by Carla Boonkong & Pranee O' Connor

 

In the last week, Mr Chutchawan Kong-u-dom has highlighted the economic imperative of liberalising Thailand’s gambling laws dominated by the 1935 Gambling Act to allow for casinos in selected tourist hubs. He is also calling for an opening up to online gambling saying the kingdom cannot afford to lose financial capital that is flowing out of the country which could amount to trillions of baht.

 

On Thursday, the Royal Thai Police in a raid in central Bangkok’s Sukhumvit area, on two apartments, arrested 10 Chinese nationals operating 6 gambling sites with a turnover of ฿100 million a month although police suggested that these were aimed primarily at the Chinese market.

 

The leader of the small Thai Local Party has emerged as one of the most fervent advocates of movement to shake up the country’s legal provisions on gambling. A high powered committee of the House of Representatives is due to report by the end of March on proposals to legalise the development of high-end casinos in tourist hotspots in a move designed to boost the economy and support foreign tourism. However, Mr Chutchawan Kong-u-dom, a member of the House of Representatives, is also calling for broader legislation on gambling which would allow for the legalisation and regulation of online gambling which he claims could be costing the kingdom trillions of baht per annum in lost revenue.

 

Full story: https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/01/21/thailand-losing-trillions-over-gambling-ban/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Examiner 2022-01-22

 

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[law ling]

Good luck to Thailand on this tricky issue, but a few casinos in a few tourist centers won't dent the huge appetite here for on-line and local "casinos".

 

I have several addictions, but am grateful gambling is not one of them.

[mikebell]

'Thailand could be losing trillions of baht' - well someone's making it and it ain't the punters.  Casinos will never be legalised, the police would not allow it.  Same with house ownership - auditors & lawyers are making billions every year so won't allow this most recent 'mulling' of this vexed question.

Edited January 22, 2022 by mikebell
punctuation

[Lemonltr]

They should take a trip to Sianoukville before deciding on building casinos. 

 

[ChipButty]

Turn Phuket into a duty free island and let the chaos begin

[Cabradelmar]

So what then, change the laws and take millions (or trillions) of baht from your own gambling addicted population. Great plan ???? cuz they ain't no tourist now, and I don't think anyone need to fly 1000s of kilometers to find a casino anymore.

[realfunster]

12 minutes ago, Cabradelmar said:

So what then, change the laws and take millions (or trillions) of baht from your own gambling addicted population. Great plan ???? cuz they ain't no tourist now, and I don't think anyone need to fly 1000s of kilometers to find a casino anymore.

 

What’s the alternative ? Keeping local organized crime in business with illegal gambling or letting Thais offshore their money (losses) via websites ?

I can’t see either of them being good outcomes for Thailand.

 

Governments worldwide have tried prohibition in many areas over the years. Unless you are prepared to go down a draconian authoritarian route, it never works if a significant number of the population don’t believe it is a ‘reasonable’ restriction. 

 

[RandiRona]

How?? Is Sinagapore, Malaysia, Phillipine and surrounding countries making trillion of bahts as casinos are legalised there?? Since no one would challenge numbers as it would require logic and thinking, they will end up making 2 casinos in every city which will also sell lotteries on premium!

[Geoffggi]

I take it Mr Chutchawan Kong-u-dom does not have any vested interests in any gambling venues if this law is passed ...................LOL

[Capella]

Nothing in it for him, I'm sure.

[Pedrogaz]

Gambling is a terrible addiction that harms more than the gambler.....it harms his wife, children and her/his family.

[tingtong]

3 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Turn Phuket into a duty free island and let the chaos begin

Why Phuket?

 

Ko Tao has a long reigning chaos, a ready candidate for full tilt of lawlessness.

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

On Thursday, the Royal Thai Police in a raid in central Bangkok’s Sukhumvit area, on two apartments, arrested 10 Chinese nationals operating 6 gambling sites with a turnover of ฿100 million a month although police suggested that these were aimed primarily at the Chinese market.

Open casinos in Thailand and they will become money laundering operations, pure and simple.

Local Thais have all the outlets they need for any gambling addiction.

 

 

[chilly07]

Yes- Boo Hoo ????- the gambling mafia are loosing the opportunity of making trillions of baht out of the Thai population causing them to go bankrupt, loose their families cars and houses, turn to crime and finish  up suicidal or in prison. 

[Artisi]

3 hours ago, tingtong said:

Why Phuket?

 

Ko Tao has a long reigning chaos, a ready candidate for full tilt of lawlessness.

Can see it now, a sudden increase of unexplained deaths, mainly suicide affecting major winners who beat the odds at the casino, followed by a severe shortage of Burmese staff. 

Edited January 22, 2022 by Artisi

[khunjeff]

As long as we're making up numbers, let's say they're losing quadrillions instead.

[Nickelbeer]

The elites do not want the common people to gamble. They reserve that pleasure for themselves.

[bangon04]

8 hours ago, Cabradelmar said:

So what then, change the laws and take millions (or trillions) of baht from your own gambling addicted population. Great plan ???? cuz they ain't no tourist now, and I don't think anyone need to fly 1000s of kilometers to find a casino anymore.

The Chinese have a huge demand for offshore gambling opportunities.

Build it and they will come.

In fact why not give Pattaya to the Chinese.......

[Artisi]

12 minutes ago, bangon04 said:

The Chinese have a huge demand for offshore gambling opportunities.

Build it and they will come.

In fact why not give Pattaya to the Chinese.......

Chinese or Russians, it's still the a rse-hole of Thailand 

[Freddy42OZ]

10 hours ago, Lemonltr said:

They should take a trip to Sianoukville before deciding on building casinos. 

 

They should go to Macau.  Bloody brilliant what they've done there. 

My family have had businesses and property in Macau since the early 90's and the casinos have made the place 1000 times better that it was. 

[greeneking]

6 hours ago, khunjeff said:

As long as we're making up numbers, let's say they're losing quadrillions instead.

Or even more.....

[jacko45k]

You don't lose something you never had!

[Paulaew]

51 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

You don't lose something you never had!

In microeconomic theory, opportunity cost is the forgone benefit that would have been derived from an option not chosen. That's how economists explain how you can lose something you never had.

 

They don't call it "the dismal science" for nothing!

 

Paul Laew

[jacko45k]

9 minutes ago, Paulaew said:

In microeconomic theory, opportunity cost is the forgone benefit that would have been derived from an option not chosen. That's how economists explain how you can lose something you never had.

 

They don't call it "the dismal science" for nothing!

 

Paul Laew

Oh it is simply greed and graft here.... not much  microeconomic theory,

[superal]

Thailand does have gambling already in the form of horse racing , lotteries and cockerel fighting . Also online sports betting is possible if you use a vpn . Pre covid and not too far from where I live are 2 casinos located on no mans land .   The Thais pay about 50 baht to be able to pass by the immigration and go to the casinos . I have to pay 500 baht to the Thai immigration and 300 o the Cambodian immigration . Its all above board and there are regular mini buses taking punters there every day and it is not unusual to see 20 or more mini buses lined up outside the immigration offices waiting for their passengers to return from the casinos .  So the Thai government officials are allowing their nationals to  use the casinos . IMO it is inevitable that casinos will be built in Thailand because there is big money to be made and gambling is a big attraction to the Chinese . Nothing wrong with betting as long as you only gamble what you can afford to lose and that is where the problems stem from , weak willed people who lose everything they possess but that is a world wide problem . Thailand's casinos could be limited to foreign passport holders only , or by special arrangements to  very wealthy Thais