Thailand to Legalize Gambling To combat Illegal gambling or....

[Nrcewker]

This isn’t something new. We have already seen nations making gambling legal in order to impose tax on it and make money from it. They impose a heavy tax and hence get benefited if a gambler makes good money. To avoid this, we have also seen gamblers switching to crypto gambling with platforms where KYC is not mandatory. Let’s see how the Thai people will react to this. This news is good for crypto enthusiasts, as more people will be joining the crypto industry to make bets with cryptocurrencies.

[Kakmakr]

Well, regulating gambling.. bring other advantages too, because regulations can help to reduce gambling addiction. A regulated casino cannot just operate without implementing some kind of responsible gambling counter measures.

This might come in the form of mandatory self-exclusion requirements for people with gambling problems and also built in software detection to detect excesive gambling and early detection of players with gambling problems.  

[Strongkored]

There are two types of gambling in Thailand that are legal, namely horse racing and lottery, but we know that there are so many types of gambling that their residents will do other types of gambling that they like, such as sports betting or also casino games, that is why there are many illegal gambling houses in Thailand and it is clear it's illegal because only two of them are legal.

What the Thailand government is doing is quite a smart step because it is impossible to prevent or completely prohibit its citizens from gambling, and compared to continuing to prohibit gambling which actually does not reduce the number of gambling at all, then legalizing gambling would be a good choice, and perhaps later it will also collect taxes on gambling winnings, so the Thailand government will receive quite a large income from gambling houses and players.

[davis196]

I believe it is not to combat the illegal gambling but rather to take advantage of the gambling activities to get more taxes to fund the country's treasury.

A real battle against illegal gambling would be the police arresting all owners of illegal casinos and putting them in jail.
The problem is that such battle probably won't provide satisfying results in terms of money, that is confiscated by the government.
I guess that the government of Thailand had chosen a more liberal approach, that will bring better results in terms of tax revenue.
We should also know that many illegal casino owners are contributing to the corruption in the country, by paying bribes to the police, court system and the politicians. Legalizing gambling would mean that the level of corruption would be lowered(but corruption cannot be stopped completely).

[mirakal]

People do dirty business because of the lack of support from the government. If gambling is legal already in their country, they no longer do such thing. Honestly, it is too late for their action, it is supposedly been done before the number of illegal gambling operations grew high. Without a law and strict guidelines in implementing it, their efforts go nothing. However, I definitely see there is a huge challenge for the authorities to stop illegal gambling but of course, this idea will work as long as they will take it seriously. It is all in the hands of the implementing body that conducts inspections.

[dansus021]

Thailand to Legalize Gambling I don't know about this but like you have said earlier that legalizing gambling can bring billions of dollars into the pocket of the government and then can use the money for something else like building a bridge school, etc. But the problem is It will do combat illegal gambling but gonna bring other problems to countries one of example is people who are addicted to gambling would be very massive in my opinion.

Here in Indonesia gambling is considered as an illegal business but so many people are involved in this. I don't know whats gonna happen if Indonesia start legalizing gambling. Secondly, the government need to set up some new rule like age restrictions by using KYC while signing up or even more strict like the citizen of thailand cant join the gambling party and only foreigner can play.

[retreat]

From what I know, Thailand is one of the countries in ASEAN that is quite "free", so it is not surprising that they legalized gambling in their country. The legality of gambling will also benefit them, because there will be a lot of taxes that they can absorb and also attract investment into the gambling sector in that country which will be able to improve the economy in that country. However, with the legality of gambling, it will increase the risk of gambling addiction in people and the Thai government must really pay attention to this because the impact can be quite serious.

[Kelward]

I also think that it is a wise decision on the PM side since it is impossible to stop gambling, so why not take advantage of it for the country's development?  Your thought?

This is a typical case of can't beat them join them, the Thailand, PM has realized that not accepting the fact that their citizens have embraced gambling is a lose for their economy. I applaud his decision to legalize gambling in their country, so that the government can generate income from the vibrant industry, instead of watching their citizens to gamble illegally that will not benefit the economy. I don't understand the prejudice against gambling, people take risks everyday, it's part of the human nature to gamble.

[Frankolala]

The Thailand government have just woken up from their slumber after they have realized that they cannot stop anyone from gambling but only in the or country. It is a good that they have decided to make it legal so that the government can also benefit from it, instead of trying to stop what is not possible to stop.

I believe this will bring joy to the gamblers in Thailand and will also encourage more people to gamble in the country. Online gambling made more people to gamble illegal.

[Sg4j1n3ll0]

they are right to legalize gambling considering that prohibitionism never led anywhere I would say that the wisest decision is to legalize gambling and return money to the state coffers that would have been lost anyway because let's face it, people like to bet and if in the state they live in it is illegal to do so they will do it illegally so this is how you can regain control of the situation, in fact I don't understand why it is illegal in some countries, if someone explains it to me it would be great

[bering]

As far i know in Thailand Horse racing and Lottery are legal but they are still regulated by the government but indeed sport betting and casinos are still illegal and indeed one of Thailand main reason why they considering want to legalized gambling is to combat illegal gambling which the development is very rapid in this country besides that i am sure Thailand want to get more taxes to fund the country's treasury because they are still needed money for infrastructure development but besides that Thailand was targetting 40 Million Foreign Tourists during this year and Thailand feel if the casinos are legal then it can attract Foreign tourists to visit Thailand more and potentially Thailand will get a lot of revenue from foreign tourist visits but i think this is good moved because if they are able to do that then Thailand will be the first country from Southeast Asia to legalize gambling

[Yaunfitda]

As far i know in Thailand Horse racing and Lottery are legal but they are still regulated by the government but indeed sport betting and casinos are still illegal and indeed one of Thailand main reason why they considering want to legalized gambling is to combat illegal gambling which the development is very rapid in this country besides that i am sure Thailand want to get more taxes to fund the country's treasury because they are still needed money for infrastructure development but besides that Thailand was targetting 40 Million Foreign Tourists during this year and Thailand feel if the casinos are legal then it can attract Foreign tourists to visit Thailand more and potentially Thailand will get a lot of revenue from foreign tourist visits but i think this is good moved because if they are able to do that then Thailand will be the first country from Southeast Asia to legalize gambling

Yeah, just like any countries, legalizing gambling has the benefit of tax, combat illegal gambling and then attract tourist although they are already known for their great beaches but still they need more tourist to bring more money to their economy. And I'm thinking legalizing gambling meaning they will have to let foreigners build casinos in their country so it will take years before that one will come into fruition. But obviously they are looking for the long term goals as the articles says it will add up at least $300 million in their revenues so that is good already. So we knows, they could be the next gambling den in Asia. However, they will be not the first, remember that we have Macau already as the Vegas of Asia and in the Philippines and Singapore there are casinos as well.

[bitbollo]

it's ok to legalize gambling but a whole series of controls are certainly needed in order to avoid fraud, compulsive gambling, addiction and anything else wrong linked to gambling.
it is true that in recent years this nation has taken a different attitude, going to "manage" sectors that were previously unmanaged or just linked with illegat activities (see also the legalization of soft drugs, unique within Asian countries)

[danherbias07]

Indeed it will be a wise decision. If illegal gambling cannot be controlled anymore and whatever the government does cannot stop it, then just legalize it. That way the government will make some money through taxes and that way they can also monitor every gambling movement within their country.
It's not like illegal gambling can be stopped easily because gamblers and those who own them will always find a way to do it while they are hidden.
Maybe this could also minimize the number of gamblers in their place because once it's legitimate/legal, it will mean the minimum bets could increase and it will become expensive for them.
Those who cannot afford it have a chance to just stop and let it go.

[btc_angela]

This isn’t something new. We have already seen nations making gambling legal in order to impose tax on it and make money from it. They impose a heavy tax and hence get benefited if a gambler makes good money. To avoid this, we have also seen gamblers switching to crypto gambling with platforms where KYC is not mandatory. Let’s see how the Thai people will react to this. This news is good for crypto enthusiasts, as more people will be joining the crypto industry to make bets with cryptocurrencies.

It's not new but the thing is that Thailand is predominantly Buddhist, and if I'm not mistaken, if could be against their religion that's why it's a big surprised for the government to be as liberal as in this new generation.

Nevertheless, the government might have been thinking of the benefits of having gambling legalized for tax purposes and jobs and as what others say to attract foreign investors to their county. So everything is on the positive side for them and maybe it's the best decision their government is going to make and so that the tax that they will get can be used for other projects as well.

[coin-investor]

I read an article about Thailand's Prime Minister planning to legalize gambling in order to combat illegal gambling.  He also stated that the illegal gambling operation are earning trillions of baht but are not contributing to the nation.

This is the reason why our government does not want to outlaw gambling, gamblers will go underground, and the corrupt officials are the ones who are going to make money from bribes and extortion; it was done before in our local game color game, and the corrupt officials and police are the ones who benefited from the bribes and extortion money and the government can't keep up catching these illegal gambling operators.
Since they legalized gambling our country has made billions, they able to build hospitals and infrastructures and they also regulate the gambling industry and protect the betting public

I also think it is a wise decision on the PM side since it is impossible to stop gambling, so why not take advantage of it for the country's development?  Your thought?

He made the right decision, and one of the considerations is if a country has traditions that involve gambling it is hard to outlaw these traditions, the only way is to regulate it protect the betting public, and use the taxes for the welfare of the people, our government did just that and its one of the country where legalizing gambling has been a success

[Alphakilo]

It's a wise move that would go a long way to help Thailand's economy just as it does Brazil, of whom adopted and legalized gambling because they couldn't stop or restrict gambling activities. Brazil taxes Its citizens who gamble almost about  as compared to others after a win and what's to note is that it doesn't matter how much one wins.
While it is a good strategy to grow the economy, it also aims to discourage those who have made it their source of income to go and find alternatives instead of relying on gambling wins for livelihood. It also aims to enforce age restrictions for underaged gamblers who should be in school learning or plying trades that are more better in rewards and pay.

[Darker45]

This might be the best way to go for them. If their 1935 Gambling Act, however strict, hasn't been successful in curbing gambling, they might as well legalize it. Gambling is openly existing everywhere despite the law anyway.

I agree with PM Thavisin that if they want to control gambling, it would better be done by legalizing it rather than banning it. Not to mention the huge revenue that the country would benefit from legalizing gambling.

In addition, Thailand has been receiving tens of millions of foreign tourists per year. Legalizing casinos might bring in more of them. Besides the revenue, this could also mean tens of thousands of jobs.

[aioc]

The main purpose of legalizing gambling is to weed out illegal gambling because the government is using its manpower and money, and corrupt people like politicians and police are the ones who benefit from the bribe money.
Just imagine the government spending money to haunt and prosecute these illegal gamblers, but the government is not getting anything.
When a type of number games are illegal in our country, so many politicians and police officials make a lot of money from protecting these illegal gambling.

The Thailand PM did the right thing. The people of Thailand should be the ones to enjoy the money from gambling as a form of tax. 

[crwth]

The perspective on having possible income with gambling being legalized in their country is significant for sure. I think it's important to have to look at the negative issues that could be brought about by gambling. Imagine the addiction of people and that could result in society.

An open discussion by the people of Thailand would definitely be the deciding factor IMO. It should be seen by everyone.