Thailand maintains a near-total gambling prohibition under the Gambling Act B.E. 2478 (1935), with only two state-sanctioned carve-outs: the Government Lottery Office draw lottery and licensed thoroughbred horse-race betting in Bangkok. The Act splits activities into List A (strictly prohibited unless specifically authorised) and List B (licensable at official discretion). Online gambling has no licensing pathway and is treated as prohibited, with authorities interpreting the Act to reach offshore platforms serving Thai players. Despite prohibition, a large illegal market — including pervasive underground lottery ('huay') — persists. Thailand is the most active prohibition-family jurisdiction for liberalisation debate: the Entertainment Complex (integrated-resort casino) Bill advanced to Cabinet approval in 2025 before being withdrawn in July 2025, Senate-rejected in September 2025, and frozen by the December 2025 parliamentary dissolution. A May 2026 coalition framework re-opened the prospect but no statute is enacted as at 2026-06-03.
Jurisdictions › Thailand › Overview
Thailand · Question 01 of 11
Overview: What kind of market is this?
Unfavourable · Confirmed · AI-generated · Back to full Thailand report →
Key section parameters
| Jurisdiction | Thailand (TH) |
|---|---|
| Regulator | Recorded in register |
| Favourability | Unfavourable |
| Confidence | Confirmed |
| Review status | AI-generated |
| Last collected | 18 Oct 2026 |
Summary answer
Thailand maintains a near-total gambling prohibition under the Gambling Act B.E. 2478 (1935), with only two state-sanctioned carve-outs: the Government Lottery Office draw lottery and licensed thoroughbred horse-race betting in Bangkok. The Act splits activities into List A (strictly prohibited unle…
Key headwinds & conditions
- Statutory prohibition with no current private licensing pathway
- Online gambling explicitly prohibited and actively blocked
- High political volatility — bill withdrawn, Senate-rejected, parliament dissolved