The majority of Thai people oppose the legalization of casinos and online gambling.
According to the latest poll results released by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) on the 26th, 69% of respondents oppose the legalization of online gambling.
The survey was conducted via telephone interviews from the 20th to the 21st of this month. Among the 1,310 respondents aged 18 and above, 59.16% oppose the construction of integrated entertainment venues and casinos, while another 8.63% support the construction of integrated entertainment venues but oppose the construction of casinos. Only less than 29% support the legalization of casinos.
This month, on the 13th, the Thai Cabinet approved the Comprehensive Entertainment Venue Act, which legalizes gambling and casinos to develop integrated resorts with casinos, promote tourism, employment, and investment in Thailand.
The Thai government hopes to develop integrated resort facilities with casinos similar to Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World in Singapore through this plan.
It is understood that the legalization of casinos and online gambling could generate up to 100 billion baht (approximately 13 billion ringgit) in revenue for the Thai government annually.