Casino?

Having a casino in CM would allow the Thai gov't to regulate and tax them instead of having underground casinos or forcing Thais to go to Laos, Burma and Cambodia. People are going to gamble.

Excuse me? The idea that the government could regulate and tax an industry like gambling in any controlled, logical and fair way is naive to say the very least - it will be the usual who-you-know backhanders to anyone who needs soothing and it'll be the guys on the street who will be giving their pay packets to finance it at the expense of their families. Sure, some may currently go as far as Burma or Macau but it takes some effort (and money) to do that so it must have at least a minimal deterrent effect on the people who are not yet hard line.

If you want an example of regulated gambling you need look no further than the weekly horse races organised by the army chaps on the way to Mae Rim. All the punters know that most of the winners are decided beforehand - I guess they're just betting that they know who's fixed what.