• A new survey in Thailand has found that 94% of young people have played claw crane machines, with nearly a quarter playing on a weekly or almost daily basis.
• Under Thailand’s 1935 Gambling Act, these machines are legally classified as gambling devices, but fragmented and ineffective enforcement means they are widespread in public spaces.
• The Youth Network Against Gambling, which conducted the survey, has warned that the machines act as an incentive for children to gamble and is calling for clearer regulation.
• The issue highlights the broader regulatory paralysis in Thailand, where a bill to legalise modern integrated resorts has been shelved by the new anti-casino Prime Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul.
• International research from the UK and US has also linked early exposure to claw machines with a higher propensity for gambling problems in adulthood.

A new survey in Thailand has revealed the massive popularity of claw crane machines among children and young adults, sparking fresh debate about youth protection and the country’s outdated and poorly enforced gambling laws.

The survey, conducted by the Youth Network Against Gambling among 700 young people aged 12 to 25, found that 94% had played the machines at least once. Alarmingly, 23% reported playing two to three times a week or almost daily. While the cost per play is low at around 10 baht, average spending per session was 200 baht, with some individuals reporting spending as much as 3,000 baht (approx. €76) in a single attempt to win a prize.

Legal Gambling, Illegal Operation

The core of the issue is a bizarre legal and regulatory failure. Under Thailand’s Gambling Act of 1935, claw machines are legally classified as gambling devices because winning is not guaranteed by skill alone. This means they require a licence from the Interior Ministry to operate legally.

However, in practice, enforcement is described by police as “difficult” due to bureaucratic complexities, allowing thousands of unlicensed machines to operate openly in shopping malls, arcades, and even restaurants. This has created a vast, unregulated grey market for a form of gambling that is highly appealing to minors.

A Global Concern

The concerns raised in Thailand are echoed by regulators and researchers in other parts of the world. The UK Gambling Commission has previously noted that 70% of young people report playing claw machines, warning that early exposure can normalise gambling behaviour. A separate US study published in the Journal of Gambling Studies also found a link between frequent childhood use of crane grabbers and higher rates of adult gambling.

A Symptom of Regulatory Paralysis

This specific issue with claw machines is a symptom of Thailand’s much broader failure to modernise its gambling laws. While authorities are now beginning to carry out sporadic local crackdowns on unlicensed machines, the national policy remains in a state of paralysis.

The new Prime Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, is a vocal opponent of casino legalisation and has shelved the proposed Entertainment Complex Bill, which would have created a modern, regulated framework for adult-focused integrated resorts. This leaves the country with the worst of both worlds: a strict, 80-year-old law that is proving impossible to enforce against a seemingly harmless activity that is now being flagged as a major youth gambling risk, and no political will to create a modern regulatory system that could effectively manage the industry.