Public backlash builds as demonstrators demand full withdrawal of casino legislation
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Bangkok this week to oppose a proposed bill that would pave the way for legal casinos in Thailand. The controversial legislation, pitched as a plan for new “entertainment complexes,” has sparked outrage among several civic and religious groups.
Led by the Student and People Network for Thailand Reform, the People’s Centre to Protect the Monarchy, and the Dharmma Army, around 400 demonstrators marched from Government House to Parliament on Thursday morning. Their demand: scrap the bill entirely.
Protesters Reject “Entertainment Complex” Label
Despite its title, protesters argue the bill’s real aim is to legalize gambling, a move they say clashes with the moral foundations of Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity. They warned that legal casinos would fuel social problems, not economic growth.
“We came here to protect our values,” said Pichit Chaimongkol, a key protest leader. “No religion condones gambling. This is not just about policy—it’s about principles.”
Pushback on Government’s Public Support Claims
Deputy House Speaker Pichet Chuamuangphan accepted a formal letter from the protesters and confirmed that the bill would not be added to the House agenda this week. Still, protest leaders remained defiant, vowing to continue their campaign until the legislation is completely scrapped.
Warong Dechgitvigrom, leader of the Thai Pakdee Party, questioned the legitimacy of a government survey claiming 80% public support for the proposal. His group has collected over 100,000 signatures in opposition.
“The government’s numbers don’t reflect reality,” he said. “There’s strong public resistance, and we have the signatures to prove it.”
Tensions Rise Over Religious and Regional Sensitivities
Former red-shirt leader Jatuporn Promphan warned that pushing the bill forward could spark unrest in Thailand’s Muslim-majority southern provinces.
“Why does the Prime Minister want to become the head of a nationwide gambling network?” he said, criticizing the government for prioritizing this legislation while communities are still reeling from a recent earthquake.
He also dismissed reassurances from the House Speaker, insisting that anything short of total rejection would not satisfy the public.
Online Gambling Still Thrives Despite Ban
While Thailand maintains a strict ban on most forms of gambling, online platforms continue to operate in a legal grey area. Many Thai users access offshore betting sites, and despite regular police crackdowns, enforcement remains inconsistent. Critics argue that the government’s failure to tackle online gambling makes its push for legal land-based casinos even more questionable.
Bill Passes Lower House, Moving to Legislative Council
The Victorian Parliament has made a significant stride toward gambling reform with the passage of the Gambling Legislation Amendment (Pre-commitment and Carded Play) Bill 2024. The bill cleared the Legislative Assembly with a 53-25 vote and now advances to the Legislative Council for further consideration.
Key Reform Elements
The legislation introduces mandatory pre-commitment systems for electronic gaming machines in hotels and clubs across Victoria. Players will need to insert cards into machines before they can operate them, allowing gamblers to make more informed spending decisions.
Minister Melissa Horne, overseeing Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, emphasized that the carded play concept aims to enhance patron awareness and improve spending management.
Additional measures include new spin rate limits, extending the time between spins from 2.3 to 3 seconds to slow gameplay and potentially reduce losses.
Implementation Timeline
The government plans to begin with a three-month trial in approximately 40 venues by mid-2025, before expanding the system statewide. The reform will operate under the existing YourPlay framework, which has already reduced maximum machine loading limits from AU$1,000 to AU$100.
Mixed Parliamentary Response
The bill has generated both support and criticism across party lines. Some MPs have shared personal experiences with gambling addiction to advocate for the reforms, while others express concerns about implementation details.
Gippsland South MP Danny O’Brien criticized the approach, arguing the government is giving itself authority without providing Parliament clear implementation details or timelines.
The opposition’s attempt to halt the bill’s progression through a reasoned amendment was defeated, allowing the legislation to advance.
Broader Context
Victoria’s initiative reflects a growing national conversation about account-based gambling systems. Professor Sally Gainsbury from the University of Sydney’s Gambling Treatment & Research Clinic has advocated for similar transitions to account-based systems in New South Wales.
While each Australian state maintains separate gambling regulations, Victoria’s approach could provide valuable lessons for developing effective, responsible gambling frameworks nationwide.
Romania is preparing to implement one of Europe’s most ambitious gambling reforms, with a draft bill that would prevent citizens from wagering more than 10% of their previous month’s income on gambling activities. This pioneering approach targets gambling addiction through direct financial restrictions rather than traditional methods focused solely on accessibility.
Comprehensive Oversight System
The proposed legislation creates a sophisticated monitoring framework involving multiple stakeholders:
Financial Institution Responsibility
Banks and payment processors will bear significant responsibility for implementing and enforcing spending caps for gamblers. These institutions must verify that gambling transactions do not exceed the 10% threshold of the customer’s documented monthly income from the previous month. Financial entities that fail to enforce these regulations face severe penalties—up to 1% of their annual turnover—creating strong incentives for compliance.
Real-Time Verification Platform
Romania’s National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) will develop a centralized verification platform connecting all gambling operators.
The system will allow operators to check a player’s remaining available gambling balance before accepting bets. It will track real-time spending across all gambling venues and platforms, preventing players from circumventing limits by spreading activities across multiple operators. This comprehensive approach ensures consistent enforcement across both digital and physical gambling environments.
The infrastructure represents a significant technical undertaking, requiring seamless integration between tax authorities, financial institutions, and both online and land-based gambling operators.
Dual Enforcement Approach
The legislation implements a two-pronged enforcement strategy:
For Online Gambling
Digital platforms must verify a player’s spending allowance through the ANAF system before processing transactions. Banks serve as a secondary checkpoint, monitoring electronic payments to gambling operators and blocking transactions that would exceed the 10% threshold.
For Land-Based Operations
Physical establishments—including casinos, betting shops, and venues with slot machines—must check patrons’ spending limits through the same verification system. This presents unique implementation challenges for cash-based transactions that traditionally offer greater anonymity.
Escalating Penalties for Non-Compliance
The draft bill establishes a strict progressive penalty system:
- For a first violation, operators will face fines ranging from 200,000 RON ($43,416) to 500,000 RON ($108,540).
- A second violation results in immediate revocation of the gambling license, effectively terminating the operator’s ability to conduct business in Romania.
These severe consequences reflect the government’s determination to ensure universal compliance with the new standards.
Part of a Broader Regulatory Strategy
This income-based spending limit is the latest development in Romania’s comprehensive gambling reform agenda. Previous measures include:
The government implemented a 40% tax on casino withdrawals in 2022, followed by legislation passed in October prohibiting gambling venues in communities with fewer than 15,000 residents. These measures were accompanied by enhanced advertising restrictions for gambling products.
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has framed these efforts as a direct challenge to the gambling industry’s influence, stating: “Right now we are fighting an industry that has a total turnover of €10-12 billion. It is the first law adopted in Parliament in 30 years against this mafia that has controlled the political world until now.”
Setting a European Precedent
If successfully implemented, Romania’s approach could establish a new regulatory paradigm for addressing problem gambling through direct financial controls. Other European nations struggling with gambling-related harm may closely observe Romania’s experience to evaluate the effectiveness of income-based spending limits as a harm reduction strategy.
The draft bill represents a significant shift from traditional gambling regulations focused on venue restrictions and advertising limitations toward a model that directly addresses the financial impact of excessive gambling on individual players.
Macau’s gambling industry saw a significant boost in February 2025, with gross gaming revenue (GGR) reaching MOP19.74 billion (USD 2.46 billion), exceeding analyst expectations and setting a positive tone for the year.
Chinese New Year Drives Growth
The 6.8% year-on-year increase can largely be attributed to the Chinese New Year Golden Week holiday, which ran from January 28 to February 4. This traditional peak tourism period brought a surge of mainland Chinese visitors to Macau’s casinos.
February’s performance represents an 8.1% increase compared to January 2025, marking the highest monthly GGR since October and helping to offset January’s disappointing 5.6% year-on-year decline.
Recovery Still Below Pre-Pandemic Levels
Despite the positive growth, February’s figures reached only 77.8% of pre-COVID February 2019 levels, when GGR was MOP25.37 billion. This highlights the ongoing recovery process in Macau’s gaming sector.
Galaxy Entertainment Group chairman Francis Lui expressed confidence in meeting the government’s annual target: “Although gaming revenue for January’s Lunar New Year may have been lower than expected, the performance in the second half of February has improved and exceeded expectations.”
Analyst Forecasts Exceeded
The market significantly outperformed analyst forecasts, which had predicted only a 0.8% year-on-year increase. JP Morgan analysts had accurately forecast February GGR of about MOP19 billion.
Combined Performance for Early 2025
Looking at the first two months of 2025 combined, GGR was up marginally over 2024, at just 0.5%. This modest growth reflects the mixed performance between January’s decline and February’s stronger results.
Premium Mass Segment Contribution
According to Jefferies, operators including Galaxy and Melco indicated they experienced a “long tail effect” from the Chinese New Year holiday, primarily driven by the premium mass segment of players.
Outlook for 2025
Analysts have adjusted their forecasts for Macau’s annual GGR growth to between 4% and 9% for 2025. Jefferies Equity Research noted the industry is “making up lost ground after a weak performance” in January.
To reach the government’s MOP240 billion target for 2025, the sector would need approximately 6.9% growth each month for the rest of the year.
Cautious Industry Perspectives
Some industry analysts remain cautious. CreditSights Inc pointed out that while visits from lower-GDP provinces could rise, they may not substantially accelerate the post-pandemic recovery to pre-crisis levels.
Seaport Research Partners shared a similar view, highlighting that despite February’s overall positive performance, Golden Week GGR declined compared to previous years.
Merkur Slots UK Limited, overseeing more than 200 adult gaming centres (AGCs) across the United Kingdom, has been fined £95,450 by the UK Gambling Commission. This financial penalty was imposed after an investigation into how a customer was managed at a Merkur venue in Stockport, where the patron lost nearly £2,000 over several extended gambling sessions spanning a couple of days.
Details of the Gambling Sessions
The investigation by the Gambling Commission revealed that between November 1 and November 3, 2023, the customer engaged in lengthy gambling sessions with no recorded staff interactions. On November 1, the customer gambled from 1:50 PM to 6:43 PM and resumed the next day at 1:28 PM, continuing until just before 1:00 AM on November 3. These sessions resulted in total losses amounting to £1,981, raising serious concerns about the lack of intervention by the venue’s staff despite clear signs of potential gambling harm.
Regulatory Oversight and Failings
This incident highlights significant shortcomings in Merkur’s implementation of the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). These regulations mandate that operators must proactively engage with customers showing signs of distress or excessive gambling to minimize risks associated with gambling harms. The failure at the Stockport gaming centre was attributed to a lack of effective training and the proper implementation of established harm-prevention protocols.
Andrew Rhodes, CEO of the Gambling Commission, emphasized the broader implications of the failure, stating, “This case underlines the need for all land-based gambling operators to not only establish but also rigorously enforce policies aimed at protecting consumers.” Rhodes further noted that both online and physical venues must ensure that their staff are equipped and willing to intervene when necessary.
Conclusion and Industry Implications
The fine and the circumstances leading to it serve as a stark reminder to the gambling industry of the critical importance of social responsibility. The Gambling Commission’s action against Merkur underscores the need for continuous vigilance and strict adherence to customer protection standards. It also stresses the importance of training staff adequately to recognize and act upon signs of gambling harm effectively.
This regulatory action is a clear message to all gambling operators about the serious consequences of neglecting their duties under UK law, particularly those designed to safeguard consumers from the potential harms of gambling. As the industry evolves, the commitment to social responsibility remains a paramount concern, with regulators keenly observing and ready to act on any breaches that compromise customer safety.