Call to legalise Thai casino gambling
4th March, 2008
Thailand's new prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, today called on parliament to legalise casino gambling in a select number of tourist resorts.
Mr Sundaravej said the move would generate revenue for the state - much of which is currently being lost to neighbouring casino hotspots such as Myanmar - while also helping to offset the problem of black market gambling.
"This is one way to undermine the illegal casinos in Thailand," he asserted.
The prime minister first raised the topic on Sunday during his weekly television address, but the timing of the policy shift has aroused suspicion given that it coincides with the return of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra last week.
Mr Shinawatra, a self-made billionaire who owns Manchester City football club, was ousted by a military coup in 2006 but returned from self-imposed exile following the recent election of his political allies.
Analysts have accused incumbent Prime Minister Sundaravej as being a puppet for the former leader and many will now cite the unexpected move to legalise slot machines and other forms of gambling as evidence of this.
Casino Alerts keeping you up to date with breaking casino news
