As of 17 October 2026, casinos are still unlawful in Thailand under the Gambling Act of 1935, and the Entertainment Complex Bill has not become law. The draft measure was pulled from Parliament in July 2025 and rejected by a Senate committee that September; a May 2026 coalition agreement outlined a possible revival with a 17 per cent levy and three complexes, but no replacement text has been introduced. The delay keeps a large tourism market closed to regulated casino operators, despite interest from several global groups.
Current legal status
Thai law still prohibits almost every form of betting, wagering or game of chance involving money or goods. A legal explainer published in September notes the limited exceptions: state-controlled horse racing at licensed tracks, the government-run lottery, and occasional sports betting pools with official sign-off. No venue inside Thailand holds a casino licence, and outlets near the Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos borders operate outside Thai jurisdiction. Unlicensed gambling dens inside the country carry no consumer protection.
Why the bill stalled
The Entertainment Complex Bill gained cabinet approval early in 2025, but support collapsed quickly. The Thaiger reported that the House of Representatives withdrew the measure on 9 July 2025, days after a leaked Thailand-Cambodia phone call weakened the governing coalition's backing. A deputy finance minister, Julapun Amornvivat, described the move as tactical and said the bill would return "at an appropriate moment". On 25 September 2025 a Senate committee turned the draft down, pointing to social damage, infrastructure expenditure and national security, and suggested any future attempt should go to a public referendum. Parliament then dissolved on 12 December 2025.
May framework and public opinion
Following the election, the May 2026 coalition agreement revived the entertainment complex plan in principle with revised terms. Bright Side of News says the framework proposes a 17 per cent tax on gross gaming revenue, cuts the number of permitted integrated-resort complexes from five to three, and strengthens anti-money-laundering and customer due diligence rules. Earlier drafts capped gaming areas at 10 per cent of each complex, and would have required Thai citizens to pay a 5,000 baht entry fee and show 50 million baht in bank deposits. The project still faces visible resistance: a June 2025 NIDA poll found 57 per cent of respondents against the casino clauses, and about 1,200 people protested at Parliament in April 2025 while the earlier draft was moving. None of this has produced a new bill.
Online gambling still separate
The stalled resort bill covers physical complexes only; it would not legalise anything a person can reach on a phone. Under the 1935 law and the Computer Crime Act, online betting remains prohibited for users in Thailand, and penalties range from 5,000 to 200,000 baht in fines or up to five years in prison. Foreign nationals risk deportation and blacklisting, according to Anglo Siam Legal, as cited in the same Thaiger report. Licences issued in Malta, Curacao or the Philippines do not create a legal category for a player inside Thailand; a licensed and an unlicensed offshore site carry the same criminal exposure. The Senate committee's September discussions did float tighter regulation of online gaming as a possible future modification, but that idea has not advanced.
What next for the industry
For the industry, the next milestones would be a new draft reaching cabinet, then a House reading, then consideration by the Senate, where the referendum recommendation is still pending. Bright Side of News reported that parliamentary debate was targeted for the third quarter of 2026 with possible passage by year-end, but no formal hearing date has been announced. Operators such as Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts, Wynn Resorts, Galaxy Entertainment and Melco Resorts have expressed interest in a Thai licence over the past two years, yet no tender can begin until a law is passed. The optimistic sector scenario is passage late in 2026 and licensing in 2027; the pessimistic one is another cycle of delay. Nothing published since the May framework indicates which path is more probable.
