The online gambling law in Thailand In the case of Thailand, it has been sadly found that nearly every form of gambling has been declared illegal. The only exceptions to this, are the national. Although gambling is illegal in Thailand, there hasn’t been a case yet where a poker player has had a problem playing online. However, for those who do wish to play online poker, special care is advised. Using a Thai Credit Card is definitely a no-go. Solutions like Entropay/Skrill/Neteller/Bitcoin are recommended. Online Gambling In Thailand. In terms of online gambling, there are plenty of online casinos wherein people from Thailand like to play in. Engaging in an online casino is illegal, but still a large number of the Thai population do register and play in them. Other than that, all other forms of gambling are illegal, under the Thailand Gambling Act of 1935. (2) This law prohibits all gambling not specifically authorized by law. The government hasn’t been too eager to authorize very much either.

The reason online gambling websites are getting popular among gamblers in Thailand is the thrill of winning the game, not to mention the cash rewards that come after that.

With the pro-longed Covid-19 pandemic and the government's lockdown measures, according to Bangkokpost.com - more than 3.3 million are unemployed and will likely to hit up to 8 million people by the end of 2020 in Thailand.

As 5g88win (เว็บพนัน) discovered that, even though as many people in Thailand become unemployed, many of them are choosing to try their luck at online gambling websites and most of them are doing rather well.

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According to aseantoday.com, Nearly 60% of Thailand's population gambled or at least tried gambling before and that is a whooping 30 millions Thai people despite government's strict ban on gambling activities.

Business analysts found out that the global online gambling market is estimated to exceed $60 billion by the end of year 2020.
Although the online gambling industry is growing rapidly worldwide today, so are the competitions.

It was reported that more than 3000 online gambling websites were found in Thailand alone despite the ban in the country and a study revealed that Thai gamblers have placed bets more than 20 billion Thai Baht ($640 million) in online casinos in 2019 and sports betting alone generated more than 160 billion Thai Baht ($5 billion) every year.

Gambling, same as prostitution, is illegal in Thailand even in year 2020.

Surprisingly, Thai women love gambling as much as the men. According to an survey reported in Bangkokpost.com, 60% out of one thousand Thai women admitted that they are active gamblers and had placed bets on online casinos or online progressive slot machines even if it is illegal.

Shockingly, 40% of them were 20 years old or younger and 75% of them had a full time job.
Gambling is widely accepted by Thai people and this mentality makes them highly vulnerable to gambling addiction.

1 out of 3 adults in Thailand had experience in some form of gambling and Thai people are excessive gamblers compared to other countries such as Australia and Singapore.

Many of them viewed the winnings from online gambling as extra income to enjoy a better life and would continue to play and make more money than their fixed pay job.
A great number of Thai gamblers now migrated to online gambling platforms as it is much safer and hardly to be discovered.

You will be disappointed if you are expecting to find a casino or slots arcade in Thailand as it is prohibited to set up such establishments in the country, the gambling law was introduced more than 80 years ago in Thailand and it is hardly to be lifted in the near future.

How to deposit money into online gambling websites from Thai Bank Account?

You may open bank accounts from any of the following banks to play:

• Siam Commercial Bank (or ธนาคารไทยพาณิชย์ in Thai)
• Kasikorn Bank (or ธนาคารกสิกรไทย in Thai)
• Bangkok Bank (or ธนาคารกรุงเทพ in Thai)
• Krung Thai Bank (or ธนาคารกรุงไทย in Thai)
• Government Savings Bank (or ธนาคารออมสิน in Thai)
• Krungsri Bank (or ธนาคารกรุงศรีอยุธยา in Thai)
• Thanachart Bank (or ธนาคารธนชาต in Thai)
• TMB Bank (or ธนาคารทหารไทย in Thai)
• Kiatnakin Bank (or ธนาคารเกียรตินาคิน in Thai)
  

Top mobile wallet providers in Thailand such as TruePay or LinePay used to be one of the easy ways to deposit to online gambling websites but many discontinued taking payments from these mobile wallets due to its limitation on transactions and the amount it can hold.

What are the famous gambling games in Thailand?

There are three major forms of gambling in Thailand - Football betting (or เว็บบอล in Thai), Online Casinos (or คาสิโน in Thai) and Slot Games (or สล็อตออนไลน์ in Thai).
Top 3 Famous Sportsbook Providers in Thailand:

MAXBET (or IBCBET)

IBCBET or now called MAXBET is one of the most successful and leading online sports betting bookmakers especially in Asia countries.

The company was founded in 2008, owned by a Malaysian. MAXBET offers a wide range of sports betting options with attractive odds for every kind of sport event.

Other than soccer, gamblers can also place their bets on sports such as basketball, rugby, baseball, snooker and many more, you name it. MAXBET also allows horse and dog racing betting options.

Just like MAXBET, SBOBET is one of the earliest sports betting platforms in Asia established in 2004. SBOBET is an excellent choice for sport enthusiasts to play their bets.

Similarly, SBOBET takes bets from sport events ranging from football to horse racing.

With strong presence in most of the Asia countries and some European countries, SBOBET offers instant play through their website and can be accessed from any mobile devices, tablets or laptops.

CMD368 is a well-known international online bookmaker company founded in 2013 offering live sports betting catered for gamblers from South East Asia countries such as Malaysia, China, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia, especially for the Chinese markets.

Top 10 Famous Online Casino Providers in Thailand:

SA Gaming

A Philippines-based online gambling developer founded in 2009 specializes in live games and multiplayer games.

Sexy Gaming

This company offers hot and sexy live dealers for their live games such as blackjack, baccarat, roulette and many more.

WM Gaming

WM or Wan Mei Casino is not something new to Asian gamblers, specializes in live games and live poker.

Playtech

Over 250 games developed with stunning graphics and enhanced gaming experience, the company was rated one of the best graphics and digital music.

Asia Gaming

AG, one of the most innovative live gambling platforms in Asia established in 2012.

Joker Gaming

Joker123 specializes in both online casinos and slots games, popular among the South East Asia countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.

King855

CT855 or now known as King855 is a live gambling games provider in Asia with famous live games such as Baccarat, Dragon Tiger, Sicbo, Hulu Cock and many more.

Is Online Gambling Illegal In Thailand 2020

Evolution Gaming

Founded in 2006, this company offers live gambling software for the European countries and started gaining popularity in Asia.

Microgaming

One of the pioneers in online gambling software development, founded in 1994 with over 160 casino games and 50 poker rooms.

Pragmatic Play

Founded in 2015, this online casino software developer offers more than 150 casino games in nearly 80 countries.

Top 5 Famous Slot Games Providers in Thailand:

918Kiss

918Kiss (or formerly known as SCR888) is one of the most popular online slots games in Asia such as Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei and Singapore.

Developed in 2015 by a Malaysian, the company specialized in mobile gambling applications available in both Android and iOS.

Pussy888

Pussy888 is the online slots game that took South East Asia countries by storm with
their easy gaming experience and remarkable graphics.

The mobile app offers more than 80 slot games playable on both Android and iPhone devices.

Mega888

One of the biggest online slot games providers that migrated from PC to mobile with more than 100 slot games in their mobile app.

Similar to 918Kiss, Mega888 was also founded by Malaysian.

Joker123

Another famous online slot games provider originated from Malaysia offering slot games with progressive jackpots.

XE88

A rising star in online slot games platforms in South East Asia countries with their mobile app downloaded more than one (1) million times since they started in 2018.

Conclusion

With nearly all forms of gambling banned by Thailand's government, it is safer to avoid visiting betting establishments, stay at home and place your bets with trusted online gambling websites such as 5G88WIN.COM.

The majority of the gamblers have switched their betting activities to online gambling platforms as the Internet is the safest way to take as law enforcement do not break into your house and check your smartphone randomly just to find out if you are gambling online.
Always remember that safety comes first!

If you win a jackpot from slot games or earn big money from online baccarat, make sure to keep it to yourself or only share with someone you really trust, nothing good ever comes from letting people know that you earn extra income illegally from online gambling activities that are banned in Thailand.

Is Online Gambling Illegal In Thailand Legal

Bear in mind that one single tip to the government authority will land you in some serious troubles.

If you gain a decent amount from online gambling activities, be sure to make up some stories to cover yourself if the authority raises suspicion on where that money comes from.

It is important to stay low profile, keep everything to yourself and stay indoors away from unnecessary attention if you decide to get into online gambling in Thailand.

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In Thailand the anti-gambling laws are many and include both Royal Decrees and Acts of Parliament. Before covering these, I should explain I am profession gambler that lives here and I am very familiar with our gambling industry. In this article I will explain the law, discuss how widespread gambling is and conclude with information regarding our legal forms of gambling which are horse races held in Bangkok and our national lottery.

Thailand Gambling Law

The primary law that regulates gambling in Thailand is the Gambling Act, B.E. 2478 (1935). If you click that link you will see there are 46 ministerial regulations, 16 legal opinions of Council of State and a Royal Decree all related to this law.

There are also many separate laws relating to gambling. One example is the Playing Cards Act, B.E. 2486 (1943) which makes owning, manufacturing and selling playing cards a crime. Furthermore, the Anti-Money Laundering Act, B.E. 2542 (1999) strengthens our anti-gambling law in certain cases.

While what I just shared is a lot of reading and doesn’t cover it all, Thailand gambling law is very easy to understand as far as gamblers (as opposed to those “offering gambling”) are concerned. In short: doing anything that may appear to be gambling (playing cards with no money involved even, or having gambling devices) and actual gambling – have penalties ranging from a 1,000 baht fine to one-year in prison.

In all my years involved in the Thai gambling industry, the closest I have heard of gamblers being jailed were the several times farang (foreigners) were detained and deported over poker. While perhaps it does happen, my experience is that Thai people caught gambling are only fined and quite often the matter is settled with an on the spot payment to police. It is also my experience that the strict part of our gambling law applies not to players but rather to gambling den owners, junkets, bookies, agents and gambling banks.

Thai People Love to Gamble

Despite our strict anti-gambling law, illegal gambling is widespread in Thailand. Chulalongkorn professor of economics Pasuk Phongpaichit is famous for his book Utsahakam Kan Phanan (The Gambling Industry). He estimates 70% of Thai people are regular gamblers. Living here and having visited dozens of provinces, my opinion is that he may be correct.

All over the country gambling can be found. In major cities casinos exist in the basement of office space malls and rented upscale apartments. In villages casinos are often in someone’s home, or are just a mat spread out to play dice such as in the photo shown left. Card games with friends, football betting with bookies, or playing numbers draws with non official sources are all common too.

Casinos Near Thailand

Another factor in gambling being widespread is all of our land borders have casinos. Wikipedia entry: Poipet can’t help but mention gambling because hosting Thai gamblers is what this Cambodian town is known for. Here the famous Crown Casino has a sportsbook with odds on nearly all football matches form around the world. They also have a gambling website 9crown.com. As you can see here, Thais can bet online and withdrawal in cash at the casino. As this casino is located in the land between entry/exit points it is possible to visit without being stamped in to Cambodia.

The same is true even in the Northeast. For example: the Nong Khai crossing into Laos is another area where Thais can gamble in the duty free zone between check points. We also have cheap flights with AirAsia to many casino destinations such as Malaysia and Singapore. While more upscale, 2012 Macau tourism figures show 231,295 arrivals from Thailand that year.

Junkets are another aspect of gambling in Thailand. The largest casino in Laos is Savan Vegas. Their company website is only offered in English and Thai (not Lao). Most interesting is their getting here page starts with:

“We offer a Thai Bus program, Rolling Program and Airfare program with high commission and other benefits. Any Junket or agent who is interested, please contact VIP Service or Sales and Marketing for more information at the following numbers:”

Is Online Gambling Illegal In Thailand Now

Getting Thai people to visit Cambodia and Lao casinos and Victoria Point in Burma (which is reachable by boat shuttle from Ranong) is big business, but understand these casinos may not be safe and there is no guarantee the games are fair. The Thai government has posted the notice shown right on their side of border crossings.

The same as Crown in Cambodia: Savant Vegas in Laos in another of many casinos in the region that offers online betting too. Players can play casino games online while in Thailand and then collect with this casino in person. Understand these online casinos have next to no regulation for game fairness. If you are interested in a much safer options read OnlineBetting.com’s 3rd series in the set of articles found at the bottom of the page.

Before I conclude this section, I feel compelled to stress that what I covered here does not even come close to covering how widespread gambling is in Thailand. Even our legal lottery has a massive black market with at least one person in every village running books that offer better odds than the official draw. Gambling on Muay Thai is very popular as is football betting, card games and even cock-fight wagers. In short it is best explained by saying most of Thailand loves to gamble.

Is Online Gambling Illegal In Thailand Currency

Legal Gambling in Thailand

Is Online Gambling Illegal In Thailand Usa

In Thailand we have only two forms of gambling that are exempt from the laws mentioned in this article. The less popular is horse racing in Bangkok which is mostly done at clubs reserved for hi-so (high society) types. However, twice a month there are public race days where betting at the track’s official tote is legal. This is something those living outside Bangkok are not very interested in. Far more popular, and it’s not even close, is playing our national lottery.

Is Online Gambling Illegal In Thailand Today

In Thailand the lottery is drawn on the first and sixteenth of every month. For reason most of the English language articles on the topic are poorly written and/or contain many errors I have decided to cover this final topic is its own article called Thai Lottery Explained.

1 Next:Explanation of the Thailand Lottery (Legal and Illegal) 3