Thailand’s government is working to get a law on casino resorts – currently at a draft stage – passed during 2025 by the two chambers of the country’s parliament, reported Bloomberg on Friday, citing an interview with Prommin Lertsuridej, Secretary-General to the country’s Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
The draft law is likely to be approved by Thailand’s cabinet before the end of this year, prior to being considered by the parliament, the report suggested.
It cited the Thai official as stating: “The law should be passed in six months from now at the earliest, so it should be next year to start.”
The Thai government has so far received expressions of interest from “big investors with world-class experience”, the official was also quoted as saying, though the report did not cite any further details.
A set of public recommendations in response to a draft of the legalisation proposal has been forwarded to the national government for consideration.
The legal proposal – as aired recently – mentioned that any authorised Thai casinos would be established within what the authorities term “entertainment complexes”. Also mentioned was that a licence for a casino resort complex should have an initial validity period of 30 years, with the possibility of renewal for up to 10 years.
The proposed legislation has also suggested that such entertainment venues may only be operated by a limited company or a public limited company registered in Thailand, which must have a paid-up capital of at least THB10 billion (US$286.9 million). The gaming tax rate is suggested at 17 percent.
The Thai gaming and leisure industry could, when “fully ramped”, generate US$9.1 billion annually in gross gaming revenue (GGR), exceeding the performance of Singapore’s current duopoly, and trail “only behind Macau and Las Vegas”, suggested Citigroup in an outlook on Thailand report released earlier this week.
The institution was working from a presumption of two licences in the Thai capital, Bangkok, and one each in the vicinity of Pattaya, Phuket, and Chiang Mai, three places popular with foreign tourists.
A casino gaming industry in Thailand, if legalised, could emerge as one of the “most pursued” markets by gaming companies, with the potential to be able to generate “US$4 billion to US$6 billion” in annual GGR, Morgan Stanley suggested in a late September report.
A number of casino brands has shown interest in investing in Thailand, including Macau-based operators.
