Casinos coming to Thailand? This time it just might happen

[Gaybutton]

they will build more of the damn things, plus hotels or restaurants to cater to whoever is using them.

Precisely what I hope they do . . .

And if they are anywhere near Pattaya, I'll be visiting every one of them regardless of the odds. I know my limits and I stick to them. If I win anything, I take half the money and put it in my pocket and gamble with the other half. If I do well, then I'm gambling with their money. If I'm not doing well, then once I've lost my limit I stop. Odds or not, my track record in casinos has been winning far more than I've lost. I hope that continues, but I don't expect it.

Speaking only for myself, that's a hell of a lot more fun than going from bar to bar, being forced to listen to deafeningly loud music that I dislike even if played at a normal volume, looking for just the right boy, and paying for overpriced drinks that I don't want in the first place, and doing that night after night.

[Dodger]

Where's the pleasure in gambling, when you know the odds are against you?

Nowhere can the odds against us be any greater than life itself, but seeking pleasure during our lives remains the top priority.

[Jun]

Speaking only for myself, that's a hell of a lot more fun than going from bar to bar, being forced to listen to deafeningly loud music that I dislike even if played at a normal volume, looking for just the right boy, and paying for overpriced drinks that I don't want in the first place, and doing that night after night.

I find the bars are fun, but I certainly don't visit them night after night.
Assuming we select the venues that aren't blighted by loud music, going around bars and meeting nice lads is quite good fun.
That only gets expensive if buying boy drinks and tipping them, which I don't do on every visit to a bar. Sometimes it's nice just to sit there and admire all the cute lads walking past.

Counting only the nights where I visited a bar, my average bar bill in December was just under 800 baht. I could easily cut that.
Now does anyone go to a casino with just 800 baht to lose?

I suppose different people get pleasure out of different things.

[Gaybutton]

Now does anyone go to a casino with just 800 baht to lose?

In a month how often do you go to a bar and spend 200 to 800 baht or whatever? If I go to a casino, it might be once a month or once every two months - certainly not nightly or several times a week. I'll lose far less than most would be spending at bars in that same one or two months because my losing limit would be 2000 to 3000 baht and no more. If I lose that, I stop. I could lose that much within a few hours or within the first five minutes - but I also might win. For me, either way is fun. I'm not one of those idiots that keep on betting, hoping to win back what they lost.

On one trip to Las Vegas I became friendly with one of the pit bosses who turned out once lived near me. I asked him what the craziest he's seen gamblers do. He said the most recent one was one of the casino custodians. He rarely gambled, but one night recently he decided to try shooting craps. He actually won over US $800,000! Less than two weeks later he was right back to being a custodian. He lost it all! ALL. He started making large bets and this time was losing. He tried to win it back by making even larger bets. He ended up losing all of it. Now, that's my idea of sheer insanity.

One thing I do NOT do, have never done, and never will do is get involved with online gambling or doing anything that would cause me to run up gambling debts.

If this was 10 or 15 years ago or more, I still enjoyed the bars. Now, again speaking only for myself, going to bars once or twice every six months or so - or less - is more than enough for me.

[Jun]

If this was 10 or 15 years ago or more, I still enjoyed the bars. Now, again speaking only for myself, going to bars once or twice every six months or so - or less - is more than enough for me.

Ultimately people here choose to live or holiday in Pattaya, rather than Vegas, Macau, Monaco, Poipet or other places with casinos. Pattaya is also a long way from being the nicest beach resort in SE Asia, but does have an interesting gay scene.
I presume that's the carrot that attracted most of us to Pattaya in the first place.

Also, building casinos will bring more change than just the casinos. I'm not sure you would like all of it.
If Thailand must have the damn things, you're probably going to be better off if they are built some distance away.

[Gaybutton]

building casinos will bring more change than just the casinos. I'm not sure you would like all of it.

I probably wouldn't like all of it, as you say. If it brings much more traffic and many more of the tourist types I wish would say home, those are the two things I definitely would not like at all. I don't think casinos should be built within the city - or within any Thai cities - but close enough to be readily accessible and along routes that would be unlikely to make the horrendous traffic situation even more horrendous.

Of course we have no idea yet if any would be built anywhere near Pattaya in the first place, although from where I sit Pattaya, or at least easily accessible vicinity, would certainly be a likely candidate.

I've never been to any Asian casinos, but American casinos are usually connected to hotels. If Thai casinos do the same, that might alleviate a "too many tourists" problem, although unless I'm totally wrong, the tourist types I could do without are not very likely to be casino customers anyway.

My guess is if Thailand does allow casinos, along with them will be all kinds of rules, regulations, and restrictions. I'm not expecting Las Vegas style Caesar's Palace type casinos, but more like the Florida Seminole Indian casinos which are much smaller and far less gaudy than Las Vegas.

Also, we've been talking about casinos in the plural, as if there would be several. I'm really expecting only one or two at the most, but have no clue where they might be located.

[Jun]

If it's anything like Sihanoukville, expect very gaudy casinos, some with only Chinese signs, plus nearby Chinese restaurants and hotels. It's horrific and they have ruined the entire town.

If you like casinos that much, why not arrange a trip with a few friends?

[Dodger]

Pattaya does not have the infrastructure to support even one casino, let alone the type of entertainment complexes being bantered around in TAT's pie-in-the-sky discussions.

Poor city planning and systemic corruption has resulted in roadways and utilities which service Pattaya being in a state of almost total decay and severely under-capacity for supporting its population. In-other-words, Pattaya has imploded.

Pattaya's population has doubled from 50,000 in the early 1990's to over 100,000 today and most of the major streets HAVE NOT been improved and/or maintained to support this growth as witnessed by the constant suffocating traffic. Having streets that flood after just a few minutes of moderate rain is just one more example.

Koh Larn would be an interesting prospect and much more feasible IMO.

[Jun]

Poor city planning and systemic corruption has resulted in roadways and utilities which service Pattaya being in a state of almost total decay and severely under-capacity for supporting its population. In-other-words, Pattaya has imploded.

I'm currently in a coastal city in a poorer country than Thailand.
Yet if we compare it with Pattaya, this city would win on almost every metric. The notable exceptions would be availability of prostitutes and a gay scene.

However, the roads of Pattaya have more than enough capacity. Even the US has realised you don't solve urban transport problems by building more roads. What Pattaya lacks is proper public transport and measures to encourage its use and discourage motorists.
1 Even on the clunky old rail line, they can get an express train from Hua Lamphong to Pattaya in 2.5 hours. Except, they run just 2 such express services per week.
2 Within Pattaya, there isn't a proper public transport network. Songthaew stop where the hell they like, creating more congestion than they relieve. Much of the city has no public transport at all. Including to and from the train station. You would also have a long wait for a 10 baht songthaew from the northern bus station.
3. These shopping centres have huge free car parks. The city could introduce a parking tax of 200 baht and use the money to fund some cheap buses and bus lanes. If 200 baht doesn't cut traffic, try 500 baht.

[Gaybutton]

Cabinet approves bill for casino-entertainment complex

by THE NATION

January 13, 2025

Thailand took another step towards legalising casinos on Monday, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, revealed after today's Cabinet meeting (January 13) that the Cabinet approved the principle of the draft "Entertainment Complex Business Act, " as proposed by the Ministry of Finance.

The draft law aims to legalise the kingdom’s vast underground gambling industry, allowing the establishment of entertainment complexes and casinos to generate tax revenue.

This approval follows a public consultation and revisions made based on feedback from the public and relevant agencies. The government hopes that this project will stimulate the economy and tourism in the country, Paetongtarn said.

Paetongtarn also stated that it would be beneficial for the entertainment complex project to be implemented quickly. She pointed out that Singapore implemented a similar project, where casinos accounted for only 10% of the business, and it significantly boosted tourism and economic growth, increasing GDP. She hopes this project will have a similar effect on Thailand’s economy. For Thai citizens wishing to access the casino, an entrance fee of 5,000 baht will be required.

Regarding concerns about the potential increase in illegal or grey market businesses in Thailand, the Prime Minister said that if everything is done transparently, it will benefit the country. Increased tax revenues would provide additional income for the nation.

The next step is for the draft law to be submitted to the House of Representatives for consideration and eventual enactment as law, but no deadline has been set for its enactment as law.

However, the Council of State has raised six points of concern regarding the draft law:

1. It focuses solely on casino entertainment venues, contradicting the government’s policy to promote well-rounded tourism destinations with other features including water parks, amusement parks, shopping malls, concerts, festivals, and world-class sporting events.

2. If the draft law focuses solely on "entertainment complexes", it must clearly define what constitutes an entertainment complex. Does it refer to hotels, service establishments, restaurants, etc? Since each of these activities is already regulated by specific laws, there is no need for a new law on this matter, as it would create redundancy.

3. The House of Representatives study on entertainment complexes says they will address the issue of illegal gambling. However, the public definition of an entertainment complex covers a variety of recreational activities, not a place specifically designed for gambling. Moreover, entertainment establishments are already regulated by laws. The issue of illegal gambling in these places stems from violation and lax enforcement of existing laws. Therefore, it is unclear how the proposed draft law will resolve the issue of illegal gambling.

4. If the government seeks to address illegal gambling or legalise gambling in entertainment establishments, it could update or amend the existing Gambling Act (1935) to tackle the issue more effectively, rather than focusing on regulating the establishment and management of entertainment complexes.

5. The draft’s objectives should be clarified by the Finance Ministry so the Cabinet can make an informed decision on whether the law is intended to promote the development of tourist destinations or address the issue of illegal gambling, as these two goals require different legal mechanisms and structures. Additionally, public opinion and feedback from relevant agencies, especially the Interior Ministry, should be considered.

6. Accurate information should be submitted to the public to clear up widespread criticism and confusion regarding the bill’s objectives before it is submitted to the Cabinet.

Finance Minister Pichai Chunhawajira has shrugged off the Council of State’s concerns.

Pichai, who also serves as deputy PM, emphasised the need for Thailand’s tourism industry to remain competitive with other countries.

He said that aside from the Council of State, no government agency opposed the bill, though concerns had been raised over areas of jurisdiction and how to ensure that Thais under the age of 20 were barred from gambling in casinos.

The Finance Ministry is working to address these concerns, as the government’s focus was on attracting foreign rather than domestic gamblers, Pichai said.

He said the government had opted not to amend the Gambling Act, since its primary focus was on entertainment, while gambling-related revenue was a secondary concern.

https://www.nationthailand.com/news/policy/40045116