New Casino Rules May Bar Thais Without $1.5M Fixed Deposits

[Liverpool Lou]

16 minutes ago, Joseph98765 said:

it won't happen with those entry conditions... at the end it was only that  "a new way to tax farangs...or who can afford to play" 

How would it "tax foreigners"?

[VR333]

1 hour ago, Nickcage49 said:

've never had a casino ask me for an entrance fee, and I've been to them worldwide.

In Singapore the locals have to pay something like $150 for the casinos there. Very quiet when I've been to MBS on a weekday.

 

Cheaper for Thais to fly to Singapore (free entry with a foreign passport) if they want to gamble legally.

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

The 50 million baht requirement must be the threshold for money laundering services.

[realfunster]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

According to a draft released by the Office of the Council of State, Thai nationals must maintain fixed deposits totalling 50 million baht (approximately $1.5 million) for at least six months to gain entry to these casinos. Additionally, an entry fee, capped at 5,000 baht, will be imposed. These regulations are part of a broader initiative to stimulate tourism, a primary income source for Thailand, Southeast Asia's second-largest economy.

 

Irrespective of whether Thais should or should not be allowed in Thai casinos, the Thai bureaucracy confirming (yet again) with this announcement, their complete lack of critical thinking skills.

 

 

[lordgrinz]

44 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Then their plan is working, keeping the riff-raff out.

 

I thought Casinos made their money off the riff-raff, not the highrollers. Bankrupting poor people to help pad their profit margins. So this move of eliminating the riff-raff seems counterproductive. 

[Andycoops]

All this mumbo jumbo won't effect the ordinary Thai gambler because they are at it already and have been since Somchai made Som Tam as the currently illegal gambling dens are operated by the very people who are supposed to be making sure it doesn't happen...

[ronnie50]

1 hour ago, Joseph98765 said:

100% right....if the idea was to eradicate the illegal ones, it won't happen with those entry conditions... at the end it was only that  "a new way to tax farangs...or who can afford to play" 

The whole thing smells of the Thai oligarch class and another pre-agreed fix. You can "bet big" that the owners of these places were agreed some time ago. Where will the oversight come from? How will the tax revenue be spent and on whom? How will the casinos be audited? By foreign external auditing houses, or locally? Most likely the target audience is the Chinese tourist with some reasonable spending power.

[klauskunkel]

6 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

I see a business opportunity! Casino agents, who for a fee, can make you look like you have 50 million baht in the bank 🤪

I see a different business opportunity! Sell the name and address to a kidnapping ring... 

[Selatan]

8 hours ago, VR333 said:

In Singapore the locals have to pay something like $150 for the casinos there. Very quiet when I've been to MBS on a weekday.

 

Cheaper for Thais to fly to Singapore (free entry with a foreign passport) if they want to gamble legally.

Cheaper to fly to Kuala Lumpur instead.

 

 

[BrandonJT]

10 hours ago, Nickcage49 said:

And 5K for entering? I've never had a casino ask me for an entrance fee, and I've been to them worldwide.

The entrance fee isn't for you.  It's only for Thais and it's to keep them out. The governments wants your money, not to further impoverish it's already poor population.

[Grumpy one]

15 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"...myself included".

Their plan will work, then!  The chance that they would be relying on your patronage is very remote.

Most casino's probably make a tidy income from the average punter with just a few hundred to gamble

[Metapod]

the casino even without local punters will be a HUGE success. Bangkok is the most visited city in the world and all the foreign nationals would flock there to gamble.

 

the locals would go there too for the restaurants/bars/events. I imagine it would become essentially like a giant mall/entertainment complex, but the advantage of this one is that it is open after 10pm, when all the competitors close. The Thais would flock there to just hangout and socialize indoors.

 

Think about an Icon Siam, but open 24 hours, with booze and events and gambling.

 

Whoever gets this done, is going to make a killing.

[Liverpool Lou]

3 hours ago, Grumpy one said:

Most casino's probably make a tidy income from the average punter with just a few hundred to gamble

If you say so.  Best you stick to them, then.

[Marco100]

Singapore & Macau are the big ones whom Thailand would compete to get the Cinese Gamblers , as that is the Target ...

I think Thailand would catch a fair share of Cinese Gamblers who move with families as Thailand has a lot to offer to the target .

I don't think they want to give the Thai Gamblers to the Big Corporations .

To be seen which Big Gambling Corporations wants to invest in it without the Thai Gamblers in the picture .

Time will tell .

 

[still kicking]

On 2/18/2025 at 6:53 AM, Geoffggi said:

Yet more attributes to divide the Thai people - The Have & the Have Nots it really is sad

Why? even in the West (Monaco) they are banned from social entrees 

[blaze master]

On 2/17/2025 at 5:12 PM, hotsun said:

The house advantage will probably be akin to just handing them your money and walking out

 

Don't worry you'll get a complimentary reach around as well. 

[newnative]

On 2/18/2025 at 3:31 PM, Liverpool Lou said:

That would be the idea.

     Agree.  The biggest argument always put out against casinos is they will harm Thais who will gamble their money away.   Easy solution, bar Thais from entering any casino unless they can meet high thresholds of wealth, as this proposal does.  Nothing new, some other countries bar locals from their casinos.  The 5000 baht entrance fee for the super-rich Thais who qualify should be scrapped, though.  

     Spouse and I were just at the Genting Resorts World project in Malaysia the other day.  I think Thailand envisions something like this for its gambling/amusements entertainment project.  The place was absolutely packed--on a week day--with lots of Muslims and Chinese.  Some westerners but probably 80 to 90% Asian--and lots of families with children. 

    The project has both outdoor and indoor amusement parks, lots of shopping, cable car rides, and concert halls, among other attractions.   It was clear to see that this project, with all it had on offer, was attracting lots of non-gamblers as well as gamblers.   A well-done project such as this one, if executed as well in Thailand, should also be popular with both gamblers and non-gamblers in Thailand.