The new Prime Minister of Thailand has broadcast the fact that he supports legalising casinos and has promised tourist centre casinos by the end of his four-year term. Residents of Thailand are big gamblers across the border in Cambodia and other Asian countries such as Myanmar, Malaysia and Macau. Samak Sundaravej, who took office last month, thinks that a Thai casino industry should start in tourist areas, although last September Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO suggested that if Thailand was ready to open up gambling a single integrated development, which could be called 'The Bangkok Strip,' would be more beneficial for the country's tourism business.

According to Adelson, the location must be near a big city with proper construction infrastructure and a mass-transit network. It must also be where labour is easy to find and near a large-capacity international airport to serve many airlines. Samak says Thailand must seriously consider how to open legal casinos in order to close illegal gambling venues. The idea of a Thai casino industry has been raised many times over the last three decades but so-called moral opposition has defeated its advocates.

However, gambling is a widespread and on the whole acceptable form of entertainment in Thailand. Large amounts of gambling dollars are spent in casinos in other countries and illegal gambling dens in Thailand, money that could flow into government coffers via gaming taxation and increasing tourist spend. Samak is proposing that high entrance fees and other measures would limit gambling by those unable to afford losses. As he said in 2000: “There are no casinos in Thailand but gambling is rife. It is time we made the existence of casinos official.” (E-03.04.08)

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