Play FREE casino games! Over 50 slots, bingo, poker, blackjack, solitaire and so much more! WIN BIG and party with your friends! 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.

Gambling in Southeast Asia is really taking off over the last few years, with even more countries getting ready to get in on all the action. Thailand is not one of them though, and they remain firm in their opposition to gambling in general.

Thailand does have limited legal gambling though, and the most popular form of gambling is playing the lottery. The lottery here was very popular even before it became legal, and the government looked at all of the money people were spending on it and decided that it would make sense for them to cash in on this bonanza themselves rather than let the black market make all of the money off of this.

Betting on horse racing is also permitted at two Bangkok race tracks which are also exempt from this law. These tracks are said to be frequented mostly by Bangkok high society and doesn’t’ really amount to that much as far as the overall amount of money that the Thai spend on gambling, as opposed to the lottery which is widely popular and also reaches into every corner of Thailand. (1)

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.

There are other countries in Asia which have very strict anti-gambling laws, as well as countries elsewhere in the world, but a couple of things really stand out where Thailand is concerned, that really separate them from the pack here.

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The first is the zeal that the government pursues gambling. While the penalties handed out aren‘t generally that severe, ranging from 500 to 5000 baht (about $15 to $150), and people found gambling are usually just fined, depending on the severity of the gambling, it also can carry up to 3 years imprisonment. The harsher penalties are generally reserved for organizers of the games though.

These laws apply to foreigners as well, and the authorities have been known to throw them in jail awaiting deportation, and deportation is often the response here in addition to fines, although if the offense is minor sometimes immigration officials will waive deportation. (3)

Foreigners and especially tourists charged with gambling can find themselves pretty intimidated though and often welcome a fine and deportation rather than facing more rigorous prosecution through the Thai justice system, so they very often plead guilty rather than having to post a long term bail bond, or if unable, serving several months in jail awaiting trial, and in either case having their stay perhaps extended far beyond what was anticipated.

There are over 50,000 arrests a year for gambling in Thailand, a huge amount, and anti gambling laws here aren’t just given lip service or exist primarily on paper only, like in a lot of places. The government is very serious about cracking down on it, and they take a very proactive approach to it as well, for instance having government agents spy on people, or set up gambling operations to entrap them. This is much more like a war on drugs than it is just looking to keep the peace, but the war here is on gambling.

Playing Poker In Thailand

The other distinguishing feature of gambling in Thailand is that in spite of these strict laws and great efforts to enforce them, illegal gambling in Thailand is very rampant, and that’s even an understatement.

To give you an idea of how big the black market for gambling is here, they do have a legal national lottery, but there’s also a black market lotteries here, and black market lotteries are said to be even bigger than the official, legal one. The black market versions are said to offer better odds and that is why people find them more appealing.

The main reason why black market gambling is so big in Thailand though is that the Thai people have a voracious appetite for gambling, and 70% of the people here are regular gamblers, a huge amount. When you throw that up against the very limited amount of legal gambling, well there’s going to be a lot of illegal gambling going on, and indeed, the underground gambling market here is a very large one, in the billions per year. People very often will also travel to neighboring countries, especially Cambodia, where several casinos are set up along the border with Thailand specifically for this. (4)

In addition to this, underground casinos are said to be everywhere, although they do concentrate on casino games, and there isn’t much poker around within the underground scene, other than in home games, where you have to know the host to be invited. (5)

Playing poker for money is against the law of course, and while it’s not illegal to be in possession of a deck of cards, it is illegal to produce or import playing cards, under the Playing Cards Act of 1943. (6) This is designed to slow down card games for money, but nothing slows down gambling here very much.

While simply playing a game with cards isn’t illegal, the presumption will be that if you are doing this then you are gambling, unless you are playing a game like bridge at a licensed bridge club, but it is true that given the penchant for gambling here, if cards are being played, money is probably changing hands as well.

Online Gambling in Thailand

It’s also forbidden to gamble online in Thailand, including playing online poker, but if the strict laws aren’t that effective in slowing down land based gambling, where there is a real risk of arrest, then online poker players here aren’t going to be too put out by the fact online poker is against the law here as well, especially since it’s very difficult to catch people doing this.

Given that the government here isn’t shy to enforce anti gambling laws, it’s not a surprise that they look to block people from accessing online gambling sites and online poker sites, as the government does in several other countries.

The actions of the government here isn’t just limited to this though, as they are particularly eager to prevent gambling in this country, and for those who do wish to play online poker, special care is advised, for instance you don’t want to be using a Thai credit card and also be found to be accessing online poker sites through a Thai ISP, and the government is known here to go to extremes to try to catch gamblers and even though it’s much more difficult to do so with online poker, they are still on the case here.

So this is a case where it’s a good idea to use a proxy to connect to online poker sites, even when playing, such as a virtual private network, and it’s also a good idea to use an internet wallet located in another country to move money in and out of these sites.

So there are a lot of online poker players in Thailand who enjoy online poker and with a little caution many feel pretty safe doing so. One of my top recommendations would probably be BetOnline Poker & Casino, which accepts players from almost EVERY location in the world minus the United States and several other countries.

References:

1. Online Gambling Sites in Thailand

Best casinos for video poker

2. Thailand Gambling Act

3. The Dangers of Gambling in Thailand

4. Thailand Gambling

5. Q&A With a Poker Player in Thailand

6. Playing Cards Act of 1943

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Thailand (ประเทศไทย), commonly called “The Land Of Smiles”, is a large and multi-cultural kingdom. You can find anything in Thailand, from Buddhist temples to exotic wildlife and spectacular islands. Alongside a fascinating history and a unique culture, Thailand is one of the only Asian countries to never be colonized by an empire – a testament to the proud nation!

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  • Thai language options & Thai Baht currency accepted. Over 300 games & multiple bonus offers like sign up and loyalty bonuses
  • Accept Thai Baht currency & available in Thai language. Wide selection of casino games. Great software.
  • Thailand friendly with great game selection including latest slots & live casino games. Good sign up and loyalty bonuses.
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Is Gambling In Thailand Legal According To Law?

Besides Thailand’s government sponsored public lottery, and betting at either of the two horse racing tracks in Bangkok (the Royal Bangkok Sports Club and the Royal Turf Club), gambling is not a legal activity in Thailand. Although gambling is punishable by a jail term of up to a year and a fine of ฿1000 (one thousand thailand baht/THB), gambling is an extremely common activity in Thailand and is an accepted part of society. You see students playing thai-style rummy on plastic tables at their doorsteps just as often as you see young men and women playing online poker in an internet cafe.

Thailand Gambling Act (1935 or B.E.2478)

Gambling law in Thailand is regulated by the Gambling Act of B.E. 2478, which determines the following about gambling in Thailand:

Permission is forbidden to organize, to play or to gamble in games specified in List A annexed to this Act or similar games or any other bad games which the responsible Minister has issued a Ministerial Regulation naming as additional items of prohibition.

On ‘List A’, annexed to the act, are gambling games and activities including betting in connection with street games such as gum tud (guessing how many seeds are in both hands) and several Thai dice games. Also included is betting on contests between animals in which they are treated cruelly or tortured. An example of this would be cockfighting in which spurs or other sharp instruments are attached to the cocks’ legs. Similarly, dog fighting is illegal. Certain casino games, such as roulette and slot machines are also included.

Online Gambling In Thailand

Online gambling, which includes sports betting is prohibited in Thailand, as stated in the act (Thailand Gambling Act B.E.2478) and explanations given above. Most gambling websites are blocked by government run internet censorship software installed on the ISP level in Thailand, along with 34,000+ other types of web sites that are blocked for reasons such as “copyright infringement”. A lot of gambling websites that normally accept Thai players are instead redirected to w3.mict.go.th. Despite these restrictions, there are still many who gamble online in Thailand, and OnlineGambling.co will provide you the information you need to bet and gamble, no matter where you are located.

Best Online Bookmakers For Sports Betting In Thailand

Best Sports Betting Bookmakers For Thailand Players

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Can I Deposit Money Onto Sports Betting Websites From My Thai Bank Account?

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Thailand based bank accounts and the debit & credit cards associated with them are renowned for blocking payments to online gambling websites. For example, the Be1st Visa Electron issued by Bangkok Bank does not work at online gambling sites, neither do the following banks and the cards associated with them:

  • Bank of Thailand
  • Bank of Ayudhya
  • Siam Commercial Bank
  • Kasikorn Bank
  • Bangkok Bank
  • Krung Thai Bank
  • CIMB Thai Bank
  • Siam City Bank
  • TMB Bank
  • UOB Bank
  • Kiatnakin Bank

Using Entropay in Thailand For Online Gambling Websites

As you can not use Thai bank accounts and debit cards to deposit and withdraw money to international online gambling websites, we reccomend using Entropay, a virtual VISA/Mastercard that allows you to easily deposit and withdraw cash to a semi-bank account/credit card that is accepted by all major gambling websites, including the sites listed on this website.

You can open up an Entropay account in USD, EUR, or GBP (we suggest using USD) and fund your virtual Card with your Thai debit/credit card. You’ll then need to register your card with Verified by Visa, or Mastercard Securecode, and once your account is funded you can use the Entropay Virtual Card to deposit at the betting and casino sites suggested above.

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The real beauty of using Entropay is that you can keep you’re gambling activities online confidential. Your bank will only see that you deposited or received money from Entropay. You do not have to worry about deposits and withdrawals showing up on your monthly bank statement, something that could have negative legal (gambling is illegal in Thailand after all) and social implications.

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