The government’s proposed entertainment complex project, which includes a casino, is expected to attract primarily Thai gamblers, accounting for up to 90% of customers, according to the Finance Ministry.
The draft law for the entertainment complex is going through public hearings, as required by the constitution.
The push to establish a casino in Thailand is being spearheaded by a special House committee tasked with studying an integrated entertainment complex, chaired by caretaker Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat.
The results of the study were submitted to the cabinet for consideration, leading to the ministry drafting the law.
The study predicted that if a casino were opened in Thailand, the majority of players would be locals. The study referenced statistics from Macau, which estimated that a minimum of 10% of the country’s population, both locals and foreigners, engage in casino gambling.
Of this group, 90% are local residents from mainland China, and 10% are foreign tourists.
Based on this data, the House committee used 2022 population statistics for those aged 18 to 75 who are not national welfare cardholders. Among potential visitors to a casino, the study estimated 37 million Thai residents.
In 2022, Thailand welcomed 11 million foreign tourists.
Using the Macau data, the 10% figure for the target population (both locals and foreigners) engaging in casino gambling would be 4.8 million in 2022, according to the committee.
Of this group, 1.1 million would be foreigners and 3.7 million would be Thai residents.
The minimum estimate of 3.7 million Thai gamblers appears feasible, as data on gambling behaviour in 2021 revealed 4.48 million Thais engaged in card gambling, according to a Finance Ministry source who requested anonymity.
The source said based on these statistics, it is expected that once casinos open in Thailand, some Thai gamblers who previously travelled to neighbouring countries to gamble would instead play at local casinos.
The estimate of 10% of the population gambling at a casino is a minimum, as websites related to casinos globally indicate up to 26% of the world’s population gamble.
According to the source, the draft law for the entertainment complex assigns the prime minister as the enforcer of the law.
The Entertainment Complex Policy Committee, chaired by the prime minister, has the authority to set policies related to the management of the complex.
Companies seeking a concession for an entertainment complex must be limited or public limited companies with registered capital of at least 10 billion baht.
These companies must obtain a licence from the Entertainment Complex Policy Committee.
A licence lasts 30 years and may be renewed for up to 10 years at a time.
The licence fee is 5 billion baht per licence, with an annual fee of 1 billion baht.
The casino entrance fee for Thais will not exceed 5,000 baht per person, according to the source.