Thailand’s Casino Complex: 90% of Patrons Expected to be Locals

[Andrew65]

Read something recently on Quora by an EMS worker in Vegas. He said it's quite common for people to kill themselves in the parking lot there. One guy topped-himself after spending 2 hours in a casino losing the family fortune (money that might have taken generations to accumulate).

 

He reckoned that suicides due to gambling addiction are more common than from all of the other addictions put together.

Edited August 26 by Andrew65
spelling

[sscc]

4 hours ago, Trippy said:

Usually what happens is if they charge an entrance fee, it's returned in chips that can only be used to play not cashed out. So if you bet 100 baht and win, you get a real 100 baht chip, but if you lose you only lose the fake chip. 

The charge just makes sure you have money to gamble with. 

Of course being Thailand, anything else is possible.

 

Pay to get in for locals.    Foreign passport holders pay nothing to get in. 

 

Singapore did it that way when they legalized casino gambling. 

First casino opened in Sing ( around 2011 ),  foreigners go in free.,  Singaporean locals pay  Sing 70 dollars ( higher amount nowadays )  

 

 

[khunPer]

19 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

 

Probably end up in the hands of the Chinese anyway.....then the money can flow directly back to the motherland and miss Cambodia out.

You are probably right...👍

[ChrisKC]

6 hours ago, Emdog said:

As if Many Thais are already way over their heads in debt.... ah but a big gambling win will take care of all that.... not

This is a cynical comment - that I could easily have said myself!

 

 

[ChrisKC]

So the B5,000 entrance fee will leave all the poorer Thais continuing with all the illegal gambling!

[thailand49]

A study was made,  draft will be from that study.

Then they want to charge an entry fee so you can win mostly lose money 

Any plans venue to have soapies and hookers inside like they do in Macua🤔.

Right or wrong we all know why lots of brown envelope brides to push a terrible idea through but not the first time Thai leader sell their soles to the highest bifder at the expense of their own people!🤑

 

[BangkokReady]

6 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

So, foreigners will be free?  

 

More likely they're applying a cap to what casinos can charge locals, while foreigners will have no cap.

[pacovl46]

So,  in Macau 10% of the population visit casinos and if you apply the same metrics in Thailand you get to 37 million??? Since when does Thailand have a population of 370 million? 

[beautifulthailand99]

6 hours ago, CanadaSam said:

This is a situation where gambling is already taking place in Thailand on a large scale, but totally unregulated, making mafia type criminals rich.

 

The gov't simply wants to regulate it, so they can add to their coffers, and perhaps add some semblance of law and order around an already established illegal industry.

 

I say, go for it.

 

 

Many are run by the army hence they don't want legalisation.I know of at least 2 in Pattaya - my wife asked what they were when we noctied folks going into an large anonymous buildings - 1 just of Sukhumvit Road the other on Theprassit Road.

[Dave1954]

Thailand’s Casino Complex: 90% of Patrons Expected to be Locals

Gambling is legal in the most of the rest of the world didn't really think this one out didn't they

[retarius]

I guess we'll see millions more driven into the hands of the loan sharks. I bet the loan sharks are peeing themselves at the prospect of loaning money for idiots to gamble with.

[Andrew65]

1 hour ago, ChrisKC said:

So the B5,000 entrance fee will leave all the poorer Thais continuing with all the illegal gambling!

Thailand being as it is I suspect that many Thais will be getting in without paying the entrance fee. Their mate or their missus works there.

[anchadian]

Not long to wait, only another 7 years.

 

https://x.com/ThaiEnquirer/status/1828018851596144695

 

[AhFarangJa]

7 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

So, foreigners will be free?  

Silly Man, Farangs are charged 10 times what a local is charged, same as the national parks...

[kuzmabruk]

7 hours ago, BakedPanda said:

I thought the entrance for locals was going to be like 5,000 baht, I doubt many will show up at all. 

Remember that many Thais are rich.  More than enough to fill many casinos. You might be thinking farmers but at the last auto show all the RR and Bentley were sold almost first day.  The Thai farmer and the farang on a pension are the only poor people in Thailand 

[Ralf001]

Bring it I say... even charge me 5k to enter.... cost me more than 5k to go Cambo to pay.

[Shocked farang]

6 hours ago, Paulgo said:

Foreigners will always get screwed in Thailand 🙂 lol

Everyone at the end gets screwed in a casino, except the owners, of course.

[DLock]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

The study draws parallels with Macau, where casino gambling attracts at least 10% of the population, primarily locals. Applying this metric to Thailand, the committee projects that 37 million Thai residents could be potential casino visitors.

 

This math is off.

 

In Macau, "10% of the population" visit the Casino.

 

"Applying this metric to Thailand"..."projects 37 million Thai residents could be potential casino visitors"...which is more like 50%+ of the population, children included.

 

8 hours ago, webfact said:

With 11 million foreign tourists in Thailand in 2022, the committee anticipates a combined figure of 4.8 million potential gamblers, of which 3.7 million would be Thai residents.

 

In 2024, they are projecting 36million tourists, or 3 times the 2022 numbers...so the 1.1million foreign projects are off...and where did the 37million Thai potential visitors disappear to?

 

If this was a business plan, it would be a big FAIL.

 

 

[Shocked farang]

2 hours ago, pacovl46 said:

So,  in Macau 10% of the population visit casinos and if you apply the same metrics in Thailand you get to 37 million??? Since when does Thailand have a population of 370 million? 

This article is not reliable. The Chinese people gambling in Macao are from mainland, not local people from Macao.

[DonniePeverley]

Lunacy at the highest level. Not learned anything from Cambodian fiascos. 

 

Welcome to the Untied States of China

[john donson]

casino, entrance fee? not enough to be robbed blindly by the house

[Andrew65]

6 minutes ago, john donson said:

casino, entrance fee? not enough to be robbed blindly by the house

It keeps out some of the people who can least afford to lose what little they have?

[mikosan]

10 hours ago, CanadaSam said:

This is a situation where gambling is already taking place in Thailand on a large scale, but totally unregulated, making mafia type criminals rich.

 

The gov't simply wants to regulate it, so they can add to their coffers, and perhaps add some semblance of law and order around an already established illegal industry.

 

I say, go for it.

 

 

Those in government are already profiting from illegal gambling, so what’s the point in making it legal.

[bristolgeoff]

I would expect mostly thais in the casino as they are the biggest customer on the borders,reason thai  baht accepted in them.Along with yuan  at the golden triangle area.Farangs will visit for sure when in thailand if they want too.They is allready a problem everywhere  for gambling thailand is no different now  they gamble illegal and legal with the lottery  and those shops with computers  and football sports betting..So now the new puppet of thaksim in charge  I Imagine it will be legal soon

[mikosan]

10 hours ago, CanadaSam said:

This is a situation where gambling is already taking place in Thailand on a large scale, but totally unregulated, making mafia type criminals rich.

 

The gov't simply wants to regulate it, so they can add to their coffers, and perhaps add some semblance of law and order around an already established illegal industry.

 

I say, go for it.

 

 

Those in government are already profiting from illegal gambling, so what’s the point in making it legal.

[mikosan]

10 hours ago, CanadaSam said:

This is a situation where gambling is already taking place in Thailand on a large scale, but totally unregulated, making mafia type criminals rich.

 

The gov't simply wants to regulate it, so they can add to their coffers, and perhaps add some semblance of law and order around an already established illegal industry.

 

I say, go for it.

 

 

Those in government are already profiting from illegal gambling, so what’s the point in making it legal.

[Stargeezr]

The rich and powerful will be swhare holders of these official, Legal Casinos no doubt.

  They like good profit making investments, just like the rest of the world.

IMO.  

[TheTightArseTraveller]

This is an absolute disaster for Thailand and it's people.

As a person married to a Thai in Australia, I have seen firsthand how much the addiction to gambling is in their systems.  Zero clue on when to stop.

Evil big business ripping money from the locals...

[Xonax]

23 hours ago, webfact said:

According to the Finance Ministry, the majority of the casino’s patrons—up to 90%—are expected to be Thai locals

The rich people and criminals in Thailand needs a place closer to home to launder their money.

[Hockeybik]

Wouldn't it be a logical question to ask where this casino complex might be located? If the location hasn't yet been determined, maybe the reporter could find out what areas are being considered.