Thailand is a mecca for many tourists, with millions flooding “The land of smiles” each year to get away from it all. But what many people don’t know, is that even something as simple as owning a deck of playing cards is illegal – with many a tourist being “shown the door” for passing the time by playing a hand of poker in a public place. Locals aren’t as lucky though, with many spot fines being issued. Only the government sponsored lottery and horse race betting are legal forms of gambling .
while it is still considered illegal, many bettors from the United Kingdom, Asia, Australia, and the United States can do online sports betting without the risk of prosecution. Some bettors would go on online betting sites such as Excl Horse Racing where they can place bets on their favourite horses.
During the nineteenth century, sports betting started to become more and more popular in Thailand. This was beneficial to the authorities since gambling taxes were a significant source of state revenue. In the first half of the twentieth century, the government decided to establish state-run lotteries and casinos.
At the same time, however, strong anti-gambling sentiment was emerging in the country, and soon most activities in this area were declared illegal. To one degree or another, the situation persists until today.