Dear Pattaya Mail,
I read something in Pattaya Mail about casinos in Thailand. I have a question. I am aware that Thailand is Buddhist country, and that it is considered evil to gamble in Thailand to some. I also take note that there are polls going around and in circulation giving people the choice to vote on whether or not they want a casino in Pattaya. 60,000 out of 80,000 would like to have casinos in Thailand. My question was simply in regard to private parties. I have my own chips and my own games and wish to run private parties at club events only. These events do have casino style games with gambling included. I would like to know if I fall under the same category of running a casino if I choose to invite only a strict amount of friends to a “private party” to do a little gambling. What would the law in Thailand allow me to do or not to do, when conducting a private affair?
Thank you for your time,
OC
Dear OC,
It is still illegal to gamble in Thailand, whether at a casino or in private. It is doubtful at this point that the law will ever be changed, but if it is, one of the provisions is that gambling will only be legal in licensed venues. Private gambling will remain illegal. Police raids of private gambling parties are still quite common here, and as a non-Thai, getting caught doing this would severely jeopardize your ability to remain in Thailand, once you are released from jail.
All the best,
Pattaya Mail Editorial Team
