Strong public reaction to proposal on legalising casinos in Thailand

[rametindallas]

I worked three years at a casino. Its number one function was to make money for its owner. Its number two function was to launder illegally earned cash money. Five dollar slot machines pay back 99.5% so you drop 10,000 dollars into five dollar slot machines (with the help of aunties and cousins), get most of it back and pay tax on your 9,000 dollar 'winnings'. What was drug money in the morning is clean money by evening. Since the casino does not keep track of how much drug money you lost to get the winnings you paid tax on, the law enforcement can't prove that you get your income from illicit enterprise. Now the politicians won't have to lie and say how well they saved or invested to explain their unusual wealth, they can soon claim they 'won' it at the casino. No more using monks to transport your illegal income offshore; it's laundered so you can keep it close to you in Thailand. This will be a boon to corrupt officials, politicians, policemen, and soldiers as they can soon launder their own money.

Another negative, gambling tourists tend to never leave the venue where they gamble. The don't go on tours or go shopping; they gamble. Good luck, with all the cash involved in gambling, for the state to collect anywhere near the share that it is owed. Never mind, the head of whatever casino watchdog organization will get his cut.

Thirdly, gambling is a tax on stupidity since almost everyone loses every time.

.

Just because you put ten thousand dollars into a $5 machine don't guarantee you'll get back the % paid out over the $10 thousand dollar play, it's only over a very long time of play that the percentages are achieved which could mean that you play a lot more than $10,000 dollars.....

You say you worked 3 years in a casino but it don't make you right in what you say.....

You go play a 5 dollar slot and play $10,000 dollars on a machine and let us know what you actually got back....

http://www.gamblersbookcase.com/Slots-Math.htm

Even if you only get back 80% of the money you gambled, your money is now taxed and clean. It is still money laundering and I have watched it first hand.

I'll give you some tips. Only play a slot machine you can afford to play the maximum bet on, feed the same machine at least $200 and you will come out ahead. Corner machines hit more often because everyone sees you win. Ask the floor-walker which machines are 'hot' and, if you are not too obvious about it, bend over and look up behind the glass at two sets of odometer type numbers; the longer row is how many times the game has been played and the shorter number is how many times it payed out. Look for a larger ratio to know which slot machine is ready to 'pop'. Since I can only speak from the experience of casinos in Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Mississippi, that 99.5% payback rate on five dollar slots is common in all three of those states. Most people don't stay on the same machine long enough for it to begin 'giving back' so the casinos always win in the end.

I was a Black Jack dealer my last six months and when I gambled, I only played Black Jack. I had friends who were slot techs and they gave me the tips. I won my first time playing and kept track (except for tips to dealers, servers, and comped meals). I played for longer than three years on the casino's money. Savvy players can earn money gambling. The casinos make their money off the saps and problem gamblers. They prey on he most vulnerable.

Are you sure you worked in a casino? You don't sound like you have a clue. Your comments sound like you learned this from watching movies... 80%-99% return is absolute <deleted>.

Why don't you just straight out call me a liar since you so strongly insinuate it? What, exactly, are your qualifications to know if I worked at a casino or not?

.

[rametindallas]

I worked three years at a casino. Its number one function was to make money for its owner. Its number two function was to launder illegally earned cash money. Five dollar slot machines pay back 99.5% so you drop 10,000 dollars into five dollar slot machines (with the help of aunties and cousins), get most of it back and pay tax on your 9,000 dollar 'winnings'. What was drug money in the morning is clean money by evening. Since the casino does not keep track of how much drug money you lost to get the winnings you paid tax on, the law enforcement can't prove that you get your income from illicit enterprise. Now the politicians won't have to lie and say how well they saved or invested to explain their unusual wealth, they can soon claim they 'won' it at the casino. No more using monks to transport your illegal income offshore; it's laundered so you can keep it close to you in Thailand. This will be a boon to corrupt officials, politicians, policemen, and soldiers as they can soon launder their own money.

Another negative, gambling tourists tend to never leave the venue where they gamble. The don't go on tours or go shopping; they gamble. Good luck, with all the cash involved in gambling, for the state to collect anywhere near the share that it is owed. Never mind, the head of whatever casino watchdog organization will get his cut.

Thirdly, gambling is a tax on stupidity since almost everyone loses every time.

.

your arguments do not add up, if the payback is 99.5%. I think you are talking out of your bottom half

It's plastered on advertising billboards that $5 slots (not every game in the casino) return 99.5% of the money put in them. It doesn't say the payout money is spread out evenly. Have you even been to a casino? They make their money on five cent, quarter dollar, and dollar slots.

.

.

[newnative]

Great points by Navara. There are many safeguards that can be put into place to restrict gamblers and protect Thai gamblers from losing too much, if that is a concern. Initially, the casinos could be restricted to patrons with a foreign passport. I like the idea put forward for Thais to have to travel to another province to gamble. Thailand can benefit from what has been tried and found to work by other countries with casinos. Pattaya is the logical choice for a pilot casino as it is already geared to tourists and entertainment. There is a wonderful, big plot of empty land on Pattaya Beach Road next to Hard Rock Hotel that would be terrific for an 'Asiatique' type of development with the added components of a casino, amusements, and a large, multi-purpose theater big enough for concerts, staged musicals, and other live performances.

[khunpa]

I think legalising Gambling in Thailand is actually a fantastic idea.

Gambling is "Easy Money" and Thais love "Easy Money"... Could not be a better match. Also the countries economy seems to be in trouble, due to minor issues such as corruption, political unrest etc. So why not go for the "Easy Money" and get some Casinos up and running. Then we can all enjoy a bit of gambling, after visiting the GoGo-Bars.

I think Thailand has great ideas and a bright future...

[tracker1]

I have noticed many don't even gamble what they do is sit around watching and waiting to convert their Black Money into Legitimate Money by offering a cash payment higher then the amount paid out by the Poker machines to collect the player's winnings ! a win win situation for both the Casino the player and the criminal offloading his black money and the Government

[Geordie59]

I worked three years at a casino. Its number one function was to make money for its owner. Its number two function was to launder illegally earned cash money. Five dollar slot machines pay back 99.5% so you drop 10,000 dollars into five dollar slot machines (with the help of aunties and cousins), get most of it back and pay tax on your 9,000 dollar 'winnings'. What was drug money in the morning is clean money by evening. Since the casino does not keep track of how much drug money you lost to get the winnings you paid tax on, the law enforcement can't prove that you get your income from illicit enterprise. Now the politicians won't have to lie and say how well they saved or invested to explain their unusual wealth, they can soon claim they 'won' it at the casino. No more using monks to transport your illegal income offshore; it's laundered so you can keep it close to you in Thailand. This will be a boon to corrupt officials, politicians, policemen, and soldiers as they can soon launder their own money.

Another negative, gambling tourists tend to never leave the venue where they gamble. The don't go on tours or go shopping; they gamble. Good luck, with all the cash involved in gambling, for the state to collect anywhere near the share that it is owed. Never mind, the head of whatever casino watchdog organization will get his cut.

Thirdly, gambling is a tax on stupidity since almost everyone loses every time.

.

Just because you put ten thousand dollars into a $5 machine don't guarantee you'll get back the % paid out over the $10 thousand dollar play, it's only over a very long time of play that the percentages are achieved which could mean that you play a lot more than $10,000 dollars.....

You say you worked 3 years in a casino but it don't make you right in what you say.....

You go play a 5 dollar slot and play $10,000 dollars on a machine and let us know what you actually got back....

http://www.gamblersbookcase.com/Slots-Math.htm

Thais gamble like crazy anyway.

Why not build casinos and let the Thai government collect some taxes from them rather than that money going overseas?

As for money laundering - well that is already being done elsewhere so what difference does the location make.

[Fullstop]

critics denouncing them as immoral and the begetters of social and crime-related issues.

So why don't they wave placards demanding laws against prostitution be enforced as well?

[EnglishJohn]

Thailand should not open casinos until this bizarre notion that 'luck' is a real thing, along with ghosts and the spirit in the tree in our garden.

Thai's will go to the temple and do their stuff to bring good luck, then pop off straight down the casino thinking this just might be their day to get rich. Then gamble the house away.

[djlest]

Lets make Thailand even worse than it already is!
Its funny how something is Illegal for a reason, because its harmful to people, causes debts, depression, bankrupcy, suicides, addiction. Especially with very naive and uneducated persons which pretty much sums up 95% of Thailand, with low discipline and no sense of control. Then lets make it LEGAL because it will only benefit the corrupt and police that will be controlling it.

Here is an idea - Lets make pornography LEGAL in Thailand - so more Thais jerk off and dont need to go to massage parlours, or pay for sex. Oh hold on, that wont benefit the country though? or wont benefit the Gov officials and police that control the venues?

Thailand is a nubile society, they have less sense than Western children even when adults, Thailand simply is not ready for credit cards, or Casinos. It will just pollute their already feeble minds even more. its like getting children hooked on Meth. They will be advertising casinos in between their Thai soaps which are designed to brain wash them into thinking white Thai chinese wife bashing, bitch slapping is normal if you are rich and well dressed, have white skin and drive a nice car - you too can be one of us if you visit our casino. But dont forget to go to the temples on the weekend to get blessed by the monks so you can be a millionaire. Sounds Bizzare but to them its not... its normal!

Edited June 19, 2015 by djlest

[novo58]

My only concern with this idea is just what percentage of revenue generated by any legal casino(s) will actually make its way into govt coffers and how much will be " skimmed off".

[maidee]

it is immoral, when the cops are running the show, taking the profits & organise this criminal activity

what do they have to fear or lose ? jail ? no

only a transfert at most or inactive post, so they can commint 100% on their side activities

[rametindallas]

I worked three years at a casino. Its number one function was to make money for its owner. Its number two function was to launder illegally earned cash money. Five dollar slot machines pay back 99.5% so you drop 10,000 dollars into five dollar slot machines (with the help of aunties and cousins), get most of it back and pay tax on your 9,000 dollar 'winnings'. What was drug money in the morning is clean money by evening. Since the casino does not keep track of how much drug money you lost to get the winnings you paid tax on, the law enforcement can't prove that you get your income from illicit enterprise. Now the politicians won't have to lie and say how well they saved or invested to explain their unusual wealth, they can soon claim they 'won' it at the casino. No more using monks to transport your illegal income offshore; it's laundered so you can keep it close to you in Thailand. This will be a boon to corrupt officials, politicians, policemen, and soldiers as they can soon launder their own money.

Another negative, gambling tourists tend to never leave the venue where they gamble. The don't go on tours or go shopping; they gamble. Good luck, with all the cash involved in gambling, for the state to collect anywhere near the share that it is owed. Never mind, the head of whatever casino watchdog organization will get his cut.

Thirdly, gambling is a tax on stupidity since almost everyone loses every time.

.

Just because you put ten thousand dollars into a $5 machine don't guarantee you'll get back the % paid out over the $10 thousand dollar play, it's only over a very long time of play that the percentages are achieved which could mean that you play a lot more than $10,000 dollars.....

You say you worked 3 years in a casino but it don't make you right in what you say.....

You go play a 5 dollar slot and play $10,000 dollars on a machine and let us know what you actually got back....

http://www.gamblersbookcase.com/Slots-Math.htm

Thais gamble like crazy anyway.

Why not build casinos and let the Thai government collect some taxes from them rather than that money going overseas?

As for money laundering - well that is already being done elsewhere so what difference does the location make.

I've made my case.

If you want to make it easier for corrupt politicians, civil servants, police, and military to launder their money, I'm not bothered that you want that.

If you want the government to condone and subsidize more vice, I'm not bothered that you want that.

If you want the government to raise revenue off impulsive, compulsive, and immature gamblers at the expense of their families, I'm not bothered that you want that.

Are you trying to change my mind or justify your desire for more/easier corruption and corrupting influences on the country?

.

[Transporter]

Agree with the above and add.

Only the rich will be able to afford to dress up to gamble in casinos so it is another double standard where the rich can gambol legally but the poor betting on football, cock fighting and Hi-Low will still be criminals.

The rich who dress up and gamble are just bigger, richer criminals. How do you think they got rich? It certainly wasn't by winning at casinos. It was by taking more than their fair share from others.

Every mans gain is another mans loss.

[PeCeDe]

I myself a decade in the industry, but I don't advocate for casinos in any community. They are a fundamentally unfair game for the player with no method of eliminating the houses advantage. And slot software is insidious and dreadfully well designed at delivering maximum player engagement while relieving them of their bankroll.

I still don't understand why communities want to continue the current gaming practices of unfair games. In Thailands case legitimate casinos will most likely result in further redistribution of wealth from poor to rich as already done in the tax code. Nor does Thailand the integrity of its police, civil service or respect for the peoples well being to properly manage problems and other factors the casinos require.

Without genuine risk minimisation, enforcement, education, monitoring and state of the art KYC systems in casinos with automated guest accounting on play this will be a disaster and a future source of negativity towards the kingdom and the way it operates. Let's just skip enabling addiction supply and supporting criminal enterprise to some extent and skip the idea of casinos.

A Las Vegas tour operator once said to me, "there are two types of gamblers, those who lose and those who lie!" I did win $1,200.00 once on a poker slot machine, but who knows how much I lost getting to that point. I preferred playing roulette and betting on red or black, then doubling up if I lost... etc., etc. But pretty soon (Thank the Lord) went back to earning a living... The odds were better.

That doesn't mean to say I don't approve of Casino's as Thai Government money generators. As they say, "A fool and his/her money..." So why not lose it to the Casino operators and Government, then cut my taxes, or pay for true national health care, or even fill the potholes, etc., Corruption is a different matter and should be handled, yes certainly, but separately.

[Tony125]

There has been talk on opening casinos in Thailand for years especially mentioned Koh Larn off of Pattaya. Macau in China opened their 1st casino in 2004 then again in 2006 hasn't hurt them. If they opened in Thailand would be a good source of revenue for Gov , workers and I know many Chinese would use them as they do in Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun located in Connecticut USA run on Indian Reservations. I used to visit them from Boston, MA with friends untill I started using my money to visit Thailand.

[Time Traveller]

Don't see any reason why not to legalize..

Anyone who wants to gamble now, can...

Either illegally in many of the local dens or legally on Cambodian border

Seems to me the only big loser if legalized is the criminals that are currently running the illegal casinos and the corrupt police officers petering the illegal gambling dens , who would lose a lot of tea money

I think you answered your own concern about why casinos will NEVER be legalized in Thailand.

[watcharacters]

According to two members of the twelve patriots interviewed on Thai television, under the proposal only Thai nationals with an income greater than 200-300,000 baht per month and foreigners will be permitted to gamble in the casino(s).

Ah ha

So they've have some kind of vetting system and a fee based entrance card for those Thai's with the supposed means to gamble.

[kannot]

Let the retards throw their money away i say.............it wont be their fault whatever happens and if they win it will be Lord buddhas lucky amulet crap spouted

[connda]

Legalize ganja and then nobody will care.

[freedom4life]

I must agree with the content of the article..casinos would bring Thailand into further depths of crime and chaos. I question as to who is really running this country.

[ericjt]

Those of us who are not Thai should remember that we are guests here. We might express opinions, but it should always be with respect.

My opinion is that Thailand should legalize gambling. Singapore and other ASEAN countries have legalized it, and if Thailand wants to continue attracting tourists, it needs to offer at least as much as its neighbors. And deal with any problems gambling creates. As one person said, it's only wealthy people who can afford to dress up and gamble, so if they lose some money and leave it in Thailand, then that's not a bad thing for Thailand.

Thailand needs to make sure that it maintains itself as a place where tourists choose to come and enjoy themselves and spend money. If that means legalizing gambling, then that's what Thailand should do.

[jcisco]

I worked three years at a casino. Its number one function was to make money for its owner. Its number two function was to launder illegally earned cash money. Five dollar slot machines pay back 99.5% so you drop 10,000 dollars into five dollar slot machines (with the help of aunties and cousins), get most of it back and pay tax on your 9,000 dollar 'winnings'. What was drug money in the morning is clean money by evening. Since the casino does not keep track of how much drug money you lost to get the winnings you paid tax on, the law enforcement can't prove that you get your income from illicit enterprise. Now the politicians won't have to lie and say how well they saved or invested to explain their unusual wealth, they can soon claim they 'won' it at the casino. No more using monks to transport your illegal income offshore; it's laundered so you can keep it close to you in Thailand. This will be a boon to corrupt officials, politicians, policemen, and soldiers as they can soon launder their own money.

Another negative, gambling tourists tend to never leave the venue where they gamble. The don't go on tours or go shopping; they gamble. Good luck, with all the cash involved in gambling, for the state to collect anywhere near the share that it is owed. Never mind, the head of whatever casino watchdog organization will get his cut.

Thirdly, gambling is a tax on stupidity since almost everyone loses every time.

.

Just because you put ten thousand dollars into a $5 machine don't guarantee you'll get back the % paid out over the $10 thousand dollar play, it's only over a very long time of play that the percentages are achieved which could mean that you play a lot more than $10,000 dollars.....

You say you worked 3 years in a casino but it don't make you right in what you say.....

You go play a 5 dollar slot and play $10,000 dollars on a machine and let us know what you actually got back....

http://www.gamblersbookcase.com/Slots-Math.htm

Even if you only get back 80% of the money you gambled, your money is now taxed and clean. It is still money laundering and I have watched it first hand.

I'll give you some tips. Only play a slot machine you can afford to play the maximum bet on, feed the same machine at least $200 and you will come out ahead. Corner machines hit more often because everyone sees you win. Ask the floor-walker which machines are 'hot' and, if you are not too obvious about it, bend over and look up behind the glass at two sets of odometer type numbers; the longer row is how many times the game has been played and the shorter number is how many times it payed out. Look for a larger ratio to know which slot machine is ready to 'pop'. Since I can only speak from the experience of casinos in Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Mississippi, that 99.5% payback rate on five dollar slots is common in all three of those states. Most people don't stay on the same machine long enough for it to begin 'giving back' so the casinos always win in the end.

I was a Black Jack dealer my last six months and when I gambled, I only played Black Jack. I had friends who were slot techs and they gave me the tips. I won my first time playing and kept track (except for tips to dealers, servers, and comped meals). I played for longer than three years on the casino's money. Savvy players can earn money gambling. The casinos make their money off the saps and problem gamblers. They prey on he most vulnerable.

Such machines would be quite unsophisticated at least pre-wow factor type and the ensuing human factors research based implementations by other manufactures. The entire purpose is for the machine to manage each and every player that comes to a machine to with constant pay outs and lulls. Then inserting a slight modification they alters human expectations of higher pay out potential, how that won't happen. And if the player has increased their betting chances are they are effectively playing into the machines game.

As I said insidious and not all a fair match to a human machine has total control of the parameters and some of these change dynamically. Their behaviour is not the result of its regression towards the means of symbols in a fixed set and their rates of appearance.

[newnative]

^{Good points by Ericjt. Thailand needs to protect its tourist income and offer what other countries in the area are already offering. I think we all need to relax--the sky isn't falling. The prudent course would be to start with one casino in Pattaya as a pilot site, possibly with some restrictions in place to keep the anti-gambling faction happy.}

[Jonmarleesco]

'He also floated ideas on how to initially operate casinos so that restrictions were enforced efficiently.' Somyot might be better employed on floating ideas to enforce restrictions/laws in other areas - traffic, illegal stalls, illegal gambling dens?. After all, ensuring existing laws are enforced is supposed to be his job, and his priority.

[djjamie]

I bet $50 casinos in Thailand will be legalised in 6 months!!

[jacko45k]

Much poverty will be the outcome! !!

Well more poverty, certainly those who cannot resist gambling will find it easier and the casinos will be keen to make them penniless.

I just worry that less sophisticated people will be taken advantage of.

Saying 'those who want to gamble will gamble anyway' shows no idea how casinos work.

I would worry the Mrs would wander into one when bored and come out with a few collection heavies to visit me!

[rametindallas]

I worked three years at a casino. Its number one function was to make money for its owner. Its number two function was to launder illegally earned cash money. Five dollar slot machines pay back 99.5% so you drop 10,000 dollars into five dollar slot machines (with the help of aunties and cousins), get most of it back and pay tax on your 9,000 dollar 'winnings'. What was drug money in the morning is clean money by evening. Since the casino does not keep track of how much drug money you lost to get the winnings you paid tax on, the law enforcement can't prove that you get your income from illicit enterprise. Now the politicians won't have to lie and say how well they saved or invested to explain their unusual wealth, they can soon claim they 'won' it at the casino. No more using monks to transport your illegal income offshore; it's laundered so you can keep it close to you in Thailand. This will be a boon to corrupt officials, politicians, policemen, and soldiers as they can soon launder their own money.

Another negative, gambling tourists tend to never leave the venue where they gamble. The don't go on tours or go shopping; they gamble. Good luck, with all the cash involved in gambling, for the state to collect anywhere near the share that it is owed. Never mind, the head of whatever casino watchdog organization will get his cut.

Thirdly, gambling is a tax on stupidity since almost everyone loses every time.

.

Just because you put ten thousand dollars into a $5 machine don't guarantee you'll get back the % paid out over the $10 thousand dollar play, it's only over a very long time of play that the percentages are achieved which could mean that you play a lot more than $10,000 dollars.....

You say you worked 3 years in a casino but it don't make you right in what you say.....

You go play a 5 dollar slot and play $10,000 dollars on a machine and let us know what you actually got back....

http://www.gamblersbookcase.com/Slots-Math.htm

Even if you only get back 80% of the money you gambled, your money is now taxed and clean. It is still money laundering and I have watched it first hand.

I'll give you some tips. Only play a slot machine you can afford to play the maximum bet on, feed the same machine at least $200 and you will come out ahead. Corner machines hit more often because everyone sees you win. Ask the floor-walker which machines are 'hot' and, if you are not too obvious about it, bend over and look up behind the glass at two sets of odometer type numbers; the longer row is how many times the game has been played and the shorter number is how many times it payed out. Look for a larger ratio to know which slot machine is ready to 'pop'. Since I can only speak from the experience of casinos in Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Mississippi, that 99.5% payback rate on five dollar slots is common in all three of those states. Most people don't stay on the same machine long enough for it to begin 'giving back' so the casinos always win in the end.

I was a Black Jack dealer my last six months and when I gambled, I only played Black Jack. I had friends who were slot techs and they gave me the tips. I won my first time playing and kept track (except for tips to dealers, servers, and comped meals). I played for longer than three years on the casino's money. Savvy players can earn money gambling. The casinos make their money off the saps and problem gamblers. They prey on he most vulnerable.

Are you sure you worked in a casino? You don't sound like you have a clue. Your comments sound like you learned this from watching movies... 80%-99% return is absolute <deleted>.

The dude said ' even if you only get back 80% of the money you gambled' not that's what the casino payout, can't you wait until breakfast is over before getting the claws out?

"Even if" = expect the lowest to be 80%.

And maybe you should wake up earlier "dude". Try and keep up.

You must be the kind of sucker customer the casinos love; you don't leave the casino with any of the money you brought. I played Black Jack at the casinos for longer than three years and never played with my own money except the first hand, which I won. After that, I only risked winnings. I quit gambling when I finally broke 'even' But that didn't include free Scotch, drink tips, tips to dealers when I hit Black Jack, or the countless free buffets the pit bosses comped me. I have a Farang friend who's been living on Koh Samui for twenty years. One or two months a year he goes to Las Vegas and wins enough to live a fine on Samui. He built a very nice home on top of a mountain with his winnings. You're not much of a player if you lose 20% at the casinos. Look at the chart on this site and you will see the casinos only get a very small percentage of the money bet. http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/how-the-sunk-cost-fallacy-makes-you-act-stupid.html I think it is you that have no idea how casinos make their money.

Casinos prey on those who lose a little and then lose a lot trying to get that 'little' back. That's called, "Sunk Cost Fallacy" How the Sunk Cost Fallacy Makes You Act Stupid http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/how-the-sunk-cost-fallacy-makes-you-act-stupid.html and those that win but keep playing until that is gone. That's called, GREED. Which are you that you lose more than 20% when you visit a casino?

.

[rametindallas]

Great points by Navara. There are many safeguards that can be put into place to restrict gamblers and protect Thai gamblers from losing too much, if that is a concern. Initially, the casinos could be restricted to patrons with a foreign passport. I like the idea put forward for Thais to have to travel to another province to gamble. Thailand can benefit from what has been tried and found to work by other countries with casinos. Pattaya is the logical choice for a pilot casino as it is already geared to tourists and entertainment. There is a wonderful, big plot of empty land on Pattaya Beach Road next to Hard Rock Hotel that would be terrific for an 'Asiatique' type of development with the added components of a casino, amusements, and a large, multi-purpose theater big enough for concerts, staged musicals, and other live performances.

There are many safeguards that can be put into place to restrict gamblers and protect Thai gamblers from losing too much,

Since your name is newnative, I guess you haven't been in Thailand long enough to know that rule/law enforcement is nearly nil. Any 'safeguards' will be considered a joke.

.

[newnative]

I know the situation in Thailand. Casinos would be a new enterprise and a good opportunity for this new regime to show it can do things differently.

[jacko45k]

I know the situation in Thailand. Casinos would be a new enterprise and a good opportunity for this new regime to show it can do things differently.

The casino business could work hand in hand with another new business, pay-day loans, and the old pawn shops.