Thailand's new Prime Minister dispels hopes for casino legalization

On September 10, the new Prime Minister of Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul, issued a statement ruling out the possibility of legalizing casinos during his term in office.

Earlier, his predecessor, Sretta Tavisin, took the initiative to develop integrated resorts with casinos in order to stimulate tourism and foreign investment after the pandemic. Anutin himself is a long-time critic of the entertainment industry bill put forward by his predecessor. The prime minister argues that the expansion of casinos is not an opportunity for the tourism sector, but a threat - the main tourist flow from China will decrease significantly.

Thai authorities reported that in the first half of 2025, the number of tourists from China decreased by 34%, and the total number by 7%.The Thai Tourism Authority has cut its annual forecast for the number of foreign tourists from 37 million to 33 million. According to a report from TAT, the decline in tourism activity was influenced not only by the pandemic, but also by many other factors, including the April earthquake in Myanmar and northern Thailand and broader global economic problems.