Thailand is cracking down on online gambling websites. Internet providers will have 15 days to block 1,202 gambling websites before charges are pressed for violating Thailand’s Computer Crime Act. Although gambling is technically illegal in Thailand, underground and online gambling thrives in pockets of the country. Brick and Mortar Gambling Law in Thailand. Horse racing in Bangkok and Thai Lottery are the only forms of gambling legal under Thailand Law.Online betting is however popular in Thailand because our police do not focus on websites that are licensed and legal in other countries. Thai citizens were found to gamble across a range of different legal and illegal products. Government lotteries were the most popular form of gambling, with an estimated 22.7m players, followed by underground (illegal) lotteries, which saw 17.7m players, while card games attracted 4.4m players. Interestingly, Thailand has strict gambling laws that prohibit any form of gambling except for the National Lottery and horse racing. Still, the country has a staggering 70% of gamblers. Many of them often travel to the border to play in cheeky casinos targeting Thai locals. Despite our strict anti-gambling law, illegal gambling is widespread in Thailand. Chulalongkorn professor of economics Pasuk Phongpaichit is famous for his book Utsahakam Kan Phanan (The Gambling Industry). He estimates 70% of Thai people are regular gamblers.

• Is Online Gambling Illegal In Thailand
• Is Sports Betting Illegal In Thailand
• Is Gambling Illegal In Thailand
• Is Gambling Illegal In Thailand

A recent study revealed that 57% of the Thai population gambles. 2.4% of those who gambled this year were aged between 15 and 18 years old.

Editorial

Thailand’s gambling laws remain among the strictest on earth. The Thaigovernment placed a full ban on almost all gambling activities in the country,with two exceptions: the state lottery and horse racing. Despite thecountry’s strict gambling ban, the gambling rate in Thailand is on the rise.

Thailand’s Center of Gambling Studies and Center for Social and Business Development reported that 57% of the country’s population, or 30.4 million Thais, gambled during the past year. This figure was an increase of 1.4 million since 2017. Furthermore, the survey also revealed that 700,000 of them are punters who gambled for the first time this year.

The survey also indicated that huge numbers of punters are children. 733,000or 2.4% of those that gambled this year were aged 15 to 18 years old. Inaddition to this, some three million or 46% are aged between 19 to 25 yearsold.

Thaigamblers are going online to bypass restrictions

The popularity and market share of online gambling is growing rapidly every year around the globe. The global online gambling market is expected to exceed US$60 billion by 2020 with a compound annual growth of more than 9%.

Online Gambling is highly popular in Thailand despite the prohibition in thecountry. Right now, there is no specificlegislation covering online gambling but it is considered prohibited by thelocal officials.

Any gambling operation in Thailand is regulated by the Gambling Act ofB.E.2478. This act prohibits all Thai citizens from playing any casino orbetting games. This includes various Thai dice games, betting on animal fights,and other traditional Thai games such as slot machines, roulette, and othercard games.

In September last year, it was reported that 748 illegal gambling sites wereshut down in the country this includes the popular but illegal Slot555.

Many Thais are using online casinos hosted overseas to circumvent thegovernment’s restrictions. This leavesthe Thai government with limited options to prevent players from gambling on foreignsites.

However, the Thai Ministry of Information and Communication Technology hasrecently started monitoring the situation. The Ministry is reportedly watchinglocal internet activity and blocking IP addresses found visiting any onlinecasinos.

Despite its widespread use, online casinos are not as popular among Thais asother gambling segments. The Centre of Gambling Studies’ survey revealed thatonly 1.6% of those surveyed gambled via the internet. The study reported thatpunters wagered a total of THB20.2 billion (US$670 million) online.

Football betting appears to be the most popular among Thai gamblers. Footballbetting generates about 160 billion baht (US$5.3 billion) each year. It is closelyfollowed by the underground lottery which produces 153 billion baht (US$5.1billion) and government-run lottery which take in 150 billion baht (US$5billion) from players.

Onlinecasino bonuses draw in Thai punters

Most online casino websites offer a free credit bonus (or คาสิโนออนไลน์เครดิตฟรี in Thai) to attract players. This bonus is advertised as free money that punters can use to play their favourite casino games online. If the punters win, they can withdraw their winnings. Moreover, punters often receive a welcome bonus which can double their initial deposit.

Aside from casino bonuses, many online casinos offer free play options to introduce new visitors to the services and the games offered on their websites. This feature allows new players to play games on the website without depositing any cash and posting bets. Many users use this free trial feature to play free slots (or เกมส์ สล็อต ฟรี in Thai) and learn the mechanics of the game. However, players cannot win money while free playing games; members can only use this function to practice the game.

Thaisocial media stars are getting paid to promote casinos

In 2018, Thai police arrested more than 6,500 people on gambling-related charges. Among those arrested were social media celebrities, affectionately known as “web pretties”. A number of these web pretties are being recruited to promote online gambling sites.

To promote the gambling site, the social media stars are using pen orlipstick to write the domains of the online casino site on their cleavage or onother body parts. They will then post videos or photos of themselves onsocial media. One girl who was caught admitted that she was receiving THB4,000to 8,000 (US$125-250) every week to promote a gambling site.

What does the future hold?

A recent study revealed that the legalization of casino gambling could generate over US$2.8 billion from additional tax revenue. However, the legalization of gambling in Thailand will remain off the table for the foreseeable future. Supreeda Adulyanont, manager of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation is pushing for tighter regulations on gambling this year.

But tighter restrictions will likely be ineffective atcurbing gambling in Thailand. The major challenge for the government is to findan efficient way to control VPN use in the country and prevent puntersmigrating online to circumvent local restrictions.

Gambling in Thailand is here to stay. It will continue to occupy the grey area, remaining a highly illegal, yet totally accessible part of Thai society. There is little the government can do at this point beyond engaging in a lengthy and expensive game of cat and mouse.

Thailand has some of the strictest gambling laws in the world. The government here bans most forms of traditional gambling. Despite the strict regulations, rates of gambling in Thailand are growing.

It’s surprising news for the country’s lawmakers. Now is the perfect time to look at Thailand’s set of gambling laws and talk about how many individuals here are gambling every year. Let’s get started!

Current Gambling Laws in Thailand

Gambling has taken place in Thailand for centuries. For more than 80 years, however, the government has taken a very anti-gambling stance.

Today, the main piece of legislation that regulates the country’s gambling industry is the Gambling Act of 1935. This set of laws includes a Royal Decree that essentially claims all forms of gambling are banned. The Playing Cards Act of 1943 and the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 1999 added even more restrictions to the gambling industry here.

Is Online Gambling Illegal In Thailand

Anyone caught gambling faces at least a 1,000 baht fine and up to one year in prison. Those found operating an illegal gambling venue could face a more substantial punishment.

Thailand does, however, allow certain forms of gambling to take place.

A government-operated lottery is available twice a month. Horse race wagering is legal, as well. Perhaps the most popular form of gambling in Thailand is betting on Muay Thai fights. Attendees to these fights can wager on the bout outcomes without fear of punishment by the police.

Is Sports Betting Illegal In Thailand

Despite the harsh laws against gambling in Thailand, more locals are choosing to wager every single month. A new study shows that rates of gambling are now extremely high here.

Rates of Gambling in Thailand Are Growing

No one knew how effective the Thai government’s ban on gambling was until recently. Thailand’s Center for Gambling Studies and Center for Social and Business Development released a study report that claims 57% of the adult population here has gambled during the past year.

Forty-four thousand fifty individuals between the ages of 15 and overtook part in this study. This year’s findings mark an increase from a similar study in 2017, which found that 54.2% of Thai’s had gambled over the previous year. Expanding this study across the entire population shows that some 30 million individuals in Thailand gamble annually.

Fortunately, most individuals here claim to only gamble through the government-run lottery. Underground, illegal lotteries are the second most form of gambling in Thailand. 3.5 million individuals here claimed to have made wagers on sports.

Legal lottery gambling is expected to bring in over 150.5 billion Baht this year. It’s an extremely lucrative industry for the country and one that the government is unlikely to ban anytime soon. Research shows that this legal form of gambling acts as a gateway to illegal gaming activities. It wouldn’t be a major surprise to see lawmakers set new lottery restrictions, though.

Online Gambling Isn’t Gaining Traction in Thailand

It’s surprising to some that illegal land-based gambling is growing more popular in Thailand. It’s also interesting to find that online gambling still isn’t attracting Thai players. The gambling ban certainly applies to online gambling. Many are still able to make wagers through gambling sites in Europe using VPNs to hide their identities and location.

Online gambling isn’t popular in this country. According to the new study, only 1.6% of those polled claimed to have gambled online. Baccarat is the most popular online gambling game. Only a small number of individuals here wagered on sports over the internet.

This report also claims that half of all gamblers here started by the time they were 20. One individual claimed that he began to wagering at age seven. More than 200,000 individuals in this country are gambling addicts.

Gambling in Thailand is popular, yet most of it is done legally. Not long ago, Cambodia began cracking down on its gambling industry. Hopefully, lawmakers in Thailand choose to keep the legal gambling options up and running.

Is Gambling Illegal In Thailand

Is Gambling Illegal In Thailand

Will Thailand’s government ever choose to legalize casino gambling and sports betting? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!

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