Operator News

Casinos could boost tourism revenue by US$12bn in Thailand

By Phil - 27 March 2024

A study by a panel of lawmakers, due to be submitted to parliament this week, has concluded that Thailand could increase tourism revenue by US$12bn if it were to introduce resort style casinos.

The report states that average tourist spend could increase by 52 per cent to reach $1,790 per trip fuelling growth in the country’s gross domestic product by 1.16 percentage points.

The report may prompt the House of Representatives to push ahead with a bill to legalise casinos and other forms of gambling. The panel of lawmakers was led by Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat who recommended a number of safeguards to prevent problem gambling.

“The goal is to establish a comprehensive entertainment venue and to promote tourism in a new way to increase income for the country and solve the problem of illegal gambling,” he said.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin is keen to bring in new policies to generate foreign direct investment.

The casino proposal is gaining support.

Thailand’s Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said: “The legalisation of casinos in Thailand will help increase the country’s income through spending and taxes. The government will generate tax revenue from these entertainment complexes. It will also help solve the problem of illegal gambling, especially online gambling, which has been on the rise recently. We should choose provinces that have enough attractions but are not popular tourist destinations. With these legal casinos, we will be able to redirect more tourists from overly popular destinations to second-tier cities.”

Thailand has introduced a new visa-exempt policy permitting 30 days free tourist entry for tourists from China, India, Russia, the UK, EU, US, Australia and several other Asian countries.

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