Thailand gamble: Locals to roll the dice on new casino complex

Thailand’s proposed entertainment complex project, which includes a casino, is set to draw primarily Thai gamblers, with up to 90% of customers expected to be locals, as per the Finance Ministry.

Public hearings are currently being held for the draft law related to the entertainment complex, in accordance with constitutional requirements.

A special House committee, led by caretaker Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat, is driving the initiative to establish a casino in Thailand. This committee has studied the feasibility of an integrated entertainment complex and submitted its findings to the Cabinet, prompting the Finance Ministry to draft the necessary legislation.

The study predicts that the majority of casino patrons would consist of locals if a casino were to open in Thailand. Citing statistics from Macau, the study notes that at least 10% of the population, including both locals and tourists, engage in casino gambling. In Macau, 90% of these gamblers are from mainland China, while the remaining 10% are foreign tourists.

Using 2022 population statistics for those aged 18 to 75 who are not national welfare cardholders, the committee estimated that 37 million Thai residents could be potential casino visitors.

Thailand saw 11 million foreign tourists in 2022. Applying the Macau data, the committee projected that 10% of the target population (both locals and foreigners) would engage in casino gambling, amounting to 4.8 million people in 2022. Of this group, 1.1 million would be foreigners and 3.7 million would be Thai residents.

Thai gamblers

The projection of 3.7 million Thai gamblers is considered feasible, given that 4.48 million Thais engaged in card gambling in 2021, according to a Finance Ministry source who preferred to remain anonymous.

The source further revealed that based on these statistics, it is expected that once casinos open in Thailand, some Thai gamblers who previously travelled to neighbouring countries to gamble would instead play at local casinos.

The estimate of 10% of the population gambling at a casino is conservative, as global casino-related websites suggest up to 26% of the world’s population gamble.

The draft law assigns the prime minister as the enforcer of the law, with the Entertainment Complex Policy Committee, chaired by the prime minister, having the authority to set policies related to the management of the complex.

Companies aiming to secure a concession for the entertainment complex must be limited or public limited companies with registered capital of at least 10 billion baht. These companies are required to obtain a licence from the Entertainment Complex Policy Committee.

Each licence is valid for 30 years and may be renewed for up to 10 years at a time. The licence fee is set at 5 billion baht, with an annual fee of 1 billion baht.

According to the source, the entrance fee for Thai patrons at the casino will not exceed 5,000 baht per person, reported Bangkok Post.