PUBLISHED: 7 Jan 2025 at 07: 09
According to Deputy Prime Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong, the government will initiate discussions on the drive to legalize online gaming.
He urged authorities from all ministries concerned to start synchronizing their discussions and efforts because several constitutional amendments will need to be passed for online betting to be legal.
According to Mr. Prasert, who is also minister of the Digital Economy and Society ( DES ) on Monday, a formal study of the plan is scheduled to be finished in a few months.
The former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra made the announcement after saying in Chiang Rai on Sunday that regulating online gambling may benefit society as well as the business.
Mr. Prasert acknowledged that Thai students ‘ attitudes toward online gaming have been linked to a number of social issues as well as criminal behavior.
Directly, online gaming has also been tied to the increase of “mules” opening substitute bank records and schemes.
But, he added, online betting platforms see huge amounts of money go through them every moment, which, if taxed effectively, “would be great for the economy”.
When asked about Thaksin’s plan to ban people under the age of 20 from accessing online gambling sites, Mr. Prasert responded that there haven’t been any debate on this.