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Sovereign state
Asia
ISO TH

Thailand: gambling regulation and licensing

Kingdom of Thailand

  • Online sports bettingProhibited
  • Online casinoProhibited
  • Online pokerProhibited
  • Lottery and iLotteryMonopoly
  • Horse race bettingRegulated
  • Land-based (reference)Prohibited
Regulator
Ministry of Interior
Headline tax
See Taxation
Licence required
Yes
Last verified
14 Oct 2026

Summary

Thailand has no lawful online gambling. The Gambling Act B.E. 2478, enacted in 1936 by the Gregorian calendar and last amended in 1962, still governs, and the Minister of Interior administers it. The Act has two schedules. List A games, which include roulette and all other wheel games, high-low and Thai games such as Pok, Paet Kao and Tua, are banned unless a royal decree permits them at a named place. List B games, including horse racing, lottery, totalisator, bookmaking and card games, may be played only under a licence for a stated place, date and opening hours. Playing as well as organising without permission is an offence. The Government Lottery Office, a Ministry of Finance state enterprise, issues the government lottery and has sold digital tickets through the Pao Tang app since June 2022. No online casino, poker or sports betting licence exists: a July 2025 order opening permits for poker was revoked in October 2025. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society blocked 673,699 gambling items, mostly under court orders, between October 2025 and May 2026. Licence taxes are capped at 10 per cent under Section 16. The Entertainment Complex Bill, which would have licensed casinos inside integrated resorts, was withdrawn in July 2025, and the government told Parliament on 9 April 2026 that it does not support making any form of gambling a lawful business and will amend the gambling laws to reduce permits.

Common pitfalls

Relying on the unofficial English translation of the Gambling Act: it renders List A item 11 (Chang-nga or Pok) as poker and misplaces the Section 16 tax ceiling. Poker is a List B card game, licensable in principle but barred by ministerial order since October 2025. Treating the Entertainment Complex Bill as live law or a live bill: it was withdrawn in July 2025. Reading licensable List B games such as bookmaking as open online: licences are tied to a place and opening hours, and none exists for remote play.

Key facts

Regulator
Ministry of Interior (MOI)
Regulator type
Government ministry
Headline tax
See Taxation
Licence required
Yes
Minimum age
20+
Tax base
Section 16 of the Gambling Act lets the responsible Minister impose tax on List B licensees of up to 10 per cent of receipts before expenses for game 17 (totalisator), up to 10 per cent of receipts after expenses for game 19 (bookmaking), and up to 10 per cent of the price of tickets sold, before expenses, for games 16, 18 and 20 (lottery and raffle, sweepstake, and foreign lottery or sweepstake tickets). Section 16 bis leaves the actual rates to the Minister according to local conditions, so these are ceilings, not current rates. There is no online gambling tax because there is no lawful online market.
Capital
Bangkok
Currency
THB
Official languages
Thai

How to get a gambling licence in Thailand

Online casino and online sports betting are prohibited in Thailand, so no licence currently permits offering them. The licensing regime as recorded is set out below.

The regulator is the Ministry of Interior (MOI).

We record 2 licence types for Thailand.

Built from the record on this page, last verified 14 Oct 2026. The Licensing and Taxation sections carry the full detail and sources.

Licensing

Licence required
Yes
Application window
Not yet verified
Local establishment required
Not yet verified
Local server required
Not yet verified
Notable licensees
Government Lottery Office (state lottery issuer)
Barriers to entry
There is no licence for online gambling of any kind. Licences under the 1935 Act are tied to a stated place, date and opening hours, casino games need a royal decree, and the government policy statement of 9 April 2026 says the government does not support making any form of gambling a lawful business. Section 11 lets the licensing officer recall a licence for breach.

Licence types

  • Gambling licence for a List B game (Gambling Act, Sections 4 and 7)

    Scope
    Games in List B, such as animal racing and fighting, lottery and raffles, totalisator, sweepstake, bookmaking, bingo and card games, issued by the responsible Minister or a licensing officer. Each licence must state its conditions, the place, date and opening hours, the number of tickets for lotteries, and the bar on players under 20 except for List B item 16 (Section 7). Permits for poker or phe card games are barred by Ministry of Interior Order 3179/2568.

  • Royal decree permitting a List A game at a named place (Gambling Act, Section 4)

    Scope
    The only route for a List A game such as roulette or other wheel games. No such decree was identified at review.

Taxation

Headline GGR tax
Not yet verified
Effective date
Not yet verified
Player winnings tax
Government lottery prize winners pay stamp duty of THB 1 for every THB 200 of prize money or part of THB 200, which is 0.5 per cent. Charity lottery prize winners pay income tax withheld at 1 per cent of the prize. The tax treatment of other gambling winnings was not verified.
Withholding mechanism
The stamp duty is paid by the claimant when the Government Lottery Office pays the prize.
Tax base
Section 16 of the Gambling Act lets the responsible Minister impose tax on List B licensees of up to 10 per cent of receipts before expenses for game 17 (totalisator), up to 10 per cent of receipts after expenses for game 19 (bookmaking), and up to 10 per cent of the price of tickets sold, before expenses, for games 16, 18 and 20 (lottery and raffle, sweepstake, and foreign lottery or sweepstake tickets). Section 16 bis leaves the actual rates to the Minister according to local conditions, so these are ceilings, not current rates. There is no online gambling tax because there is no lawful online market.

Earmarked levies

  • Municipal gambling surcharge (Gambling Act, Section 16, second paragraph): Up to 2.5 per cent, imposed by ministerial regulation (The municipality where the licensed totalisator, sweepstake or bookmaking takes place)
  • State revenue share of government lottery sales: Set by the Government Lottery Office board under Section 22(2) of the Government Lottery Office Act (State revenue)

Compliance

Minimum age
20+
National self-exclusion
Not yet verified
AML regime
Organising gambling without permission where the amounts total THB 5 million or more, or organising gambling through electronic media, is a predicate offence under Section 3 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act B.E. 2542. The draft Entertainment Complex Business Act would have made casino licensees financial institutions under that Act, but it was withdrawn.
AML supervisor
Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO)
KYC requirements
Section 7(3) of the Gambling Act requires every licence to bar players under 20, or who have not come of age, except for List B item 16 (lottery, raffle and games of luck), so the Act sets no minimum age for the lottery. No separate identity verification regime for gambling was verified at review.
Stake limits
Not yet verified
Game content restrictions
In List B games 5 to 15 prizes may not be paid in money or bought back or exchanged at or near the premises (Section 4, fourth paragraph). Government lottery tickets may not be sold above the printed price before the draw (Sections 9 bis and 9 ter).

Minimum age by vertical

  • Horse race betting: 20+

Advertising

Advertising permitted
No
Affiliate rules
No lawful affiliate model exists. Directly or indirectly inviting people to play an unlicensed game is an offence under Section 12 of the Gambling Act.
Celebrity and influencer rules
Influencers who invite people to gamble online in any form face prosecution, according to a government statement of 6 June 2026.
Social media rules
The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society blocks social media pages and posts linked to gambling under court orders and through requests to platforms.
Penalties for breach
Under Section 12(1), helping to advertise or inviting people to a List A game (items 1 to 16) or the Salak Kin Ruap lottery carries three months to three years and a fine of THB 500 to THB 5,000; for other games, Section 12(2) sets up to two years or a fine up to THB 2,000 or both.

Restrictions

  • Section 12 of the Gambling Act punishes anyone who helps to advertise or announce, or directly or indirectly invites others to play, a game held without permission, with the same penalties as the organiser.
  • For lotteries, raffles, sweepstakes and games of luck, public announcements and invitations are banned until the game is permitted (Section 9), and such advertisements may be seized and destroyed, including in the post (Section 10).
  • The government has warned influencers that pinning links, posting links or producing content inviting people to gamble online will be prosecuted, and that sharing such content may be an offence under Section 14 of the Computer-Related Crime Act.

Payments

Credit card ban
Not yet verified
Crypto stance
Not yet verified
Permitted methods
Pao Tang app and Tung Ngern app of Krungthai Bank, for Government Lottery Office digital tickets
Payment blocking regime
No gambling-specific payment blocking list was verified. Organising gambling through electronic media, or unlicensed gambling totalling THB 5 million or more, is a predicate offence under Section 3 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act B.E. 2542.
Withdrawal timeframe rules
Government lottery prizes must be claimed within two years of the draw, and charity lottery prizes within ten years; unclaimed prizes go to state revenue.

Enforcement

ISP blocking
Yes
DNS blocking
Not yet verified
Payment blocking
Not yet verified
App store takedowns
Not yet verified
Criminal penalties
Section 12(1) of the Gambling Act: organising, helping to advertise or inviting people to a List A game (items 1 to 16) or the Salak Kin Ruap lottery, three months to three years and a fine of THB 500 to THB 5,000; players (clients), up to three years or up to THB 5,000 or both. Section 12(2): other games, up to two years or up to THB 2,000 or both; offences under Section 4 bis, up to one year or up to THB 1,000 or both. Section 14 bis doubles or combines penalties for reoffending within three years.
Operator liability
Organisers face the Section 12 penalties above; Section 5 presumes anyone who organises a game normally played for stakes to have organised it for their own benefit. Section 10 confiscates stakes and equipment, and Section 15 gives informers half the fine. Organising unlicensed gambling totalling THB 5 million or more, or through electronic media, is also a money laundering predicate offence.
Player liability
Yes. Section 12 applies to anyone who plays or bets in a game held in breach of the Act: up to three years or up to THB 5,000 or both for List A items 1 to 16, and up to two years or up to THB 2,000 or both for other games. Section 6 presumes anyone present at an unlawful game to have played, except people merely watching at public festivities or in public places.

Notable actions

  • Online gambling URLs (Ministry of Digital Economy and Society)11 Jan 2026

    183,977 online gambling URLs blocked between 1 October 2025 and 11 January 2026, the largest category of blocked content.

  • Illegal gambling URLs, social media pages and websites (Ministry of Digital Economy and Society)31 May 2026

    673,699 items blocked between 1 October 2025 and 31 May 2026: 635,717 under court orders and 37,982 through platforms (a category that also covers scams); 78,796 in May 2026 alone.

  • Online gambling URLs during the 2026 World Cup (Ministry of Digital Economy and Society)12 Jul 2026

    55,377 items blocked between 1 June and 12 July 2026, using AI tools to detect gambling URLs.

Timeline

  1. 1 Feb 1936

    Gambling Act B.E. 2478 published in the Government Gazette and in force (1 February B.E. 2478)

  2. 6 Feb 1962

    Gambling Act (No. 8) B.E. 2505, the last amendment, published

  3. 2 Jun 2022

    Government Lottery Office starts selling digital tickets through the Pao Tang app for the 16 June 2022 draw

  4. 18 Jul 2023

    Cabinet approves in principle the draft instruments for the L6 and N3 government lottery formats

  5. 13 Jan 2025

    Cabinet approves in principle the draft Entertainment Complex Business Act

  6. 27 Mar 2025

    Cabinet approves the Council of State revision of the Entertainment Complex bill

  7. 8 Jul 2025

    Cabinet resolves to withdraw the Entertainment Complex bill from the House

  8. 9 Jul 2025

    House votes 253 to 67 to remove the Entertainment Complex bill from its agenda

  9. 30 Jul 2025

    Ministry of Interior Order 2253/2568 revokes the 1958 order and opens permits for poker

  10. 29 Sept 2025

    First Anutin government tells Parliament it will not support legal gambling businesses, entertainment complexes with casinos or poker

  11. 22 Oct 2025

    Ministry of Interior Order 3179/2568 revokes Order 2253/2568 and bars permits for poker or phe card games

  12. 9 Apr 2026

    Second Anutin government policy statement says the government does not support making any form of gambling a lawful business

  13. 6 Jun 2026

    Government reports 673,699 gambling items blocked since 1 October 2025

  14. 14 Jul 2026

    Ministry of Digital Economy and Society reports 55,377 gambling items blocked during the World Cup

  15. 27 Aug 2026

    Government Lottery Office opens applications, until 30 September 2026, for agents of its digital-only N3 lottery

Outlook

The direction is towards tighter control. The government has promised amendments to the Gambling Act and its ministerial regulations to reduce gambling permits, but no bill had been published at review. The Entertainment Complex Bill has not been reintroduced, and the current government opposes it. Blocking will continue at scale. The Government Lottery Office was recruiting agents until 30 September 2026 for its digital-only three-digit N3 lottery, provided for by a 2024 ministerial regulation. A proposal to take snooker out of the Gambling Act awaits a decision by the Prime Minister.

Frequently asked questions

Is online gambling legal in Thailand?
No. The Gambling Act B.E. 2478 bans List A games such as roulette and high-low outright and allows List B games, including betting and card games, only under a licence for a stated place, date and opening hours. No online licence exists, and playing as well as organising without permission is an offence under Section 12.
Is poker legal in Thailand?
No. Poker is a card game under List B item 21, which needs a licence. A Ministry of Interior order of 30 July 2025 opened permits for poker, but Order 3179/2568 of 22 October 2025 revoked it and bars permits for poker or phe card games.
What happened to the casino bill?
The draft Entertainment Complex Business Act was approved by the cabinet in January and March 2025, then withdrawn by the cabinet on 8 July 2025 and removed from the House agenda on 9 July 2025. The government told Parliament on 9 April 2026 that it does not support making any form of gambling a lawful business.
Can the state lottery be bought online?
Yes, from the Government Lottery Office only. It has sold digital tickets through the Pao Tang app of Krungthai Bank since the 16 June 2022 draw. Prize winners pay stamp duty of 0.5 per cent.
What are the penalties for players?
For List A items 1 to 16 and the illegal Salak Kin Ruap lottery, up to three years or a fine up to THB 5,000 or both; for other games, up to two years or up to THB 2,000 or both. Anyone present at an unlawful game is presumed to have played.
How is illegal online gambling enforced?
Mainly by blocking. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society blocked 673,699 gambling items between October 2025 and May 2026, 635,717 of them under court orders. Organising gambling through electronic media is also a money laundering predicate offence.
Who regulates gambling in Thailand?
The Ministry of Interior (MOI) regulates gambling in Thailand. Other authorities with a role include Government Lottery Office (GLO) and Ministry of Digital Economy and Society.

Events in Thailand

Past events

Glossary and directory

iGT coverage of Thailand

Yumeshima, the reclaimed island in Osaka Bay where the MGM Osaka integrated resort is being built, seen from the Sakishima observatory in May 2026
Corporate

GKL Chief Tells Lawmakers Osaka Resort Could Cut Its Revenue by 5% to 10%

Grand Korea Leisure's president put a number on the Osaka threat at the National Assembly this week, then corrected it: about a quarter of its Japanese revenue, or 5% to 10% of the total. An industry study presented the same day put the hit to Korea's foreigner-only casinos far higher.

All 22 articles on Thailand →

Sources

Source tiers. Tier 1: the law, official gazette, licence register or regulator itself. Tier 2: other official sources such as ministries, parliaments, courts and statistics agencies. Tier 3: established trade press, used to find and date the primary source. Only tier 1 and tier 2 sources can support a fact on their own.

  1. Gambling Act B.E. 2478 (Phra Ratchabanyat Kan Phanan), consolidated Thai text up to the Gambling Act (No. 8) B.E. 2505

    Office of the Council of State consolidated text (watermarked), hosted by the Office of Insurance Commission information centre (translated)

    This is the authoritative Thai text and is preferred wherever the unofficial English translation (th-gambling-act) differs. Three differences matter: List A item 11 is Chang-nga or Pok, a Thai card game, not poker; Section 16 caps tax at 10 per cent of receipts before expenses for game 17 (totalisator), not game 16; and List A has 26 items, not 25.

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  2. Gambling Act B.E. 2478 (1935), as amended up to the Gambling Act (No. 8) B.E. 2505 (1962), unofficial translation

    Office of the Council of State of Thailand (Law for ASEAN project), hosted by the Department of Provincial Administration, Ministry of Interior (translated)

    Unofficial translation, marked as an initial version pending review, with no legal force. It renders List A item 11 (Chang-nga or Pok) as poker and attributes the 10 per cent gross receipts ceiling in Section 16 to game 16 instead of game 17 (totalisator). The Thai text (th-ga-th) is followed on both points.

    Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  3. Explanatory summary of the Gambling Act B.E. 2478

    Department of Provincial Administration, Ministry of Interior (translated)

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  4. Government Lottery Office: powers and duties

    Government Lottery Office (glo.or.th) (translated)

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  5. Government Lottery Office: prize checking and prize conditions for the government lottery

    Government Lottery Office (glo.or.th) (translated)

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  6. Government Lottery Office: laws related to operations

    Government Lottery Office (glo.or.th) (translated)

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  7. Digital lottery tickets go on sale through the Pao Tang app from 2 June 2022

    The Nation (Thailand) (translated)

    Tier 3Accessed 14 Oct 2026Published 3 May 2022
  8. Cabinet approves the L6 and N3 government lottery formats (cabinet resolution of 18 July 2023)

    Suphan Buri Provincial Office, Ministry of Interior (translated)

    Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  9. Government Lottery Office opens applications for N3 lottery agents until 30 September 2026 (press release)

    ThaiPublica (translated)

    Republished Government Lottery Office press release. Used only for the outlook; the N3 launch date was not verified.

    Tier 3Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 27 Aug 2026
  10. Cabinet approves the draft Entertainment Complex Business Act; casino area capped at 10 per cent

    Government Public Relations Department (prd.go.th) (translated)

    The original at https://www.prd.go.th/th/content/category/detail/id/39/iid/376800 no longer loads (checked 14 October 2026); linked to the Internet Archive copy.

    Tier 2Accessed 14 Oct 2026Published 28 Mar 2025
  11. Cabinet agrees to withdraw the draft Entertainment Complex Business Act

    Government Public Relations Department (prd.go.th) (translated)

    Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 9 Jul 2025
  12. House of Representatives news: debate on withdrawing the draft Entertainment Complex Business Act, 9 July 2025

    Secretariat of the House of Representatives (parliament.go.th) (translated)

    Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 9 Jul 2025
  13. House votes 253 to 67 to withdraw the Entertainment Complex Bill from its agenda

    Thai PBS (translated)

    Tier 3Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 9 Jul 2025
  14. Policy statement of the Council of Ministers led by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul (analysis quoting the statement of 29 September 2025)

    Secretariat of the Senate (senate.go.th) (translated)

    Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 1 Oct 2025
  15. Full text: policy statement of the second Anutin government to Parliament, 9 April 2026

    National News Bureau of Thailand, Government Public Relations Department (translated)

    Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 9 Apr 2026
  16. Anutin signs Ministry of Interior Order 3179/2568 barring permits for poker

    The Momentum (translated)

    The order itself was not found on a government host. Its number, date, legal basis (Gambling Act, Section 17) and effect are taken from this report and match the Thai Post report of the earlier order (th-moi-poker-2025-07).

    Tier 3Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 22 Oct 2025
  17. Ministry of Interior Order 2253/2568 revokes the 1958 order on poker permits

    Thai Post (translated)

    Tier 3Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 4 Aug 2025
  18. Anti-Money Laundering Act B.E. 2542 (1999), consolidated text

    Anti-Money Laundering Office (amlo.go.th) (translated)

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  19. Government reports 183,977 online gambling URLs blocked between October 2025 and January 2026

    Government Public Relations Department (prd.go.th) (translated)

    The original at https://www.prd.go.th/th/content/category/detail/id/33/iid/467894 no longer loads (checked 14 October 2026); linked to the Internet Archive copy.

    Tier 2Accessed 14 Oct 2026Published 21 Jan 2026
  20. Government reports 673,699 illegal gambling URLs blocked in eight months before the 2026 World Cup

    Thai PBS (reporting the government statement) (translated)

    Tier 3Accessed 14 Oct 2026Published 7 Jun 2026
  21. Ministry of Digital Economy and Society blocks 55,377 gambling URLs during the 2026 World Cup

    Thairath (reporting the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society statement) (translated)

    Tier 3Accessed 14 Oct 2026Published 15 Jul 2026
  22. Prime Minister says the proposal to take snooker out of the Gambling Act is still under consideration

    Thairath (translated)

    Tier 3Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 18 Sept 2026

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