Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin stated that legalizing gambling is a method to solve the existing illegal gambling issues in Thailand.
According to Thai media, the Prime Minister made these remarks during an interview. He mentioned that these illegal gambling operations have been present in Thailand for a while, and they are "worth trillions of Thai baht but contribute nothing to the country," further elaborating that it is now time to "legalize these gambling operations" and "gain more tax revenue from them."
Recently, the Deputy Minister of Finance mentioned that the final draft of the "Casino Act" will be ready within four weeks.
If the bill is passed, the area of the casinos will account for 5% of the entertainment venues' area. Investigations by 16 related government agencies estimate that these projects will bring at least 30 billion to 50 billion Thai baht (approximately 800 million to 1.3 billion USD) in investments to the country.
However, the aforementioned agencies also acknowledge that if Thailand legalizes casinos and the gambling industry, the current relevant laws will also need necessary adjustments.
