Thailand Casino Prospects Fade With Election of Prime Minister
Posted on: September 8, 2025, 08:40h.
Last updated on: September 8, 2025, 09:58h.
- Anutin Charnvirakul is the new prime minister of Thailand
- Charnvirakul is opposed to the liberalization of casinos
- The new PM says he will return the power of government to the people
Casinos presumably aren’t coming to Thailand after all. That’s the likely outcome of Anutin Charnvirakul being elected the next prime minister of the kingdom.
On Friday, Charnvirakul was chosen by the National Assembly’s House of Representatives to succeed Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
Born into a wealthy family of Chinese descent in Bangkok, Charnvirakul is a veteran politician who served as deputy prime minister under three PMs, including Shinawatra, until he resigned in June amid a fallout with his immediate superior. Charnvirakul was formally enacted as prime minister following a royal endorsement on Sunday.
“I’d like to take an oath that I determine to perform my duties to my fullest capabilities, with honesty and virtue,” Charnvirakul said.
An heir to a major construction conglomerate — Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction PCL — Charnvirakul initially entered his family’s company after gaining an engineering degree from Hofstra University in New York in the late 1980s. He oversaw several large-scale projects at Sino-Thai, including the construction of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, before entering politics in 1996.
Casino Odds Lengthen
Shinawatra was relieved of her duties in early July after a leaked phone call with Hun Sen, Cambodia’s Senate president and former prime minister, exposed her criticizing the Thai military. Shinawatra became the second Shinawatra and fifth Thai prime minister to be removed from office in 17 years.
The call resulted in the ending of Charnvirakul’s loyalty to the PM. The leader of the Bhumjaithai Party took his party with him, which resulted in Shinawatra’s Pheu Thai losing control of Parliament.
After the Constitutional Court withdrew Shinawatra as PM, Charnvirakul emerged as the front-runner to become the next head of government in the Southeast Asia nation.
Charnvirakul is best known for being a crusader for medicinal cannabis. As minister of public health, Charnvirakul distributed one million marijuana plants to Thai households for the cultivation of license-free medicinal cannabis.
While Charnvirakul supported weed for holistic uses, he’s been an adamant opponent of allowing slot machines and table games to come to Thailand. Though underground gambling dens are widespread, Charnvirakul has sided with public opposition to the liberalization of casino gambling.
Shinawatra and her Pheu Thai had spearheaded the effort to allow Las Vegas-like resorts to come to Bangkok and other major cities. The former PM argued that such resorts would help return visitation and leisure travel to pre-COVID-19 levels, create new jobs, and increase tax revenue.
PM Opposes Gambling
Gambling, aside from the Government Lottery and parimutuel wagering on horse racing, remains illegal in Thailand. However, many families have experienced gambling harms because of underground gambling rings.
Charnvirakul has pledged to use his premiership “to return power to the people to decide on the future of the country.” He also pledged to address illegal gambling.
The government will take firm action against drug trafficking, human trafficking, scammers, gambling, and online gambling. We will work in cooperation with neighboring countries and international partners to eradicate all forms of social threats,” Charnvirakul declared.
Numerous polls have shown that the public is generally opposed to casinos, with addiction concerns and other possible negative aspects, including increased crime, cited.
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