Deputy Editor
Thailand has reversed course and banned poker again after seeming to open its doors to the card game in recent months.
According to a report from The Nation, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul revoked an order that had previously legalized poker. The order takes immediate effect, so poker is once again banned along with almost all other forms of gambling.
Charnvirakul’s administration has pledged to crack down on gambling in any form. It has nixed plans to legalize casinos in the country and commissioned raids on local gambling dens. Poker was next in the administration’s crosshairs, targeted and reclassified in a swift executive order.
Move Halts Promising Momentum of Poker in Thailand
The move to ban poker will come as disappointing news to local poker players. It may also surprise those in the industry who recall the good vibes that surrounded Thai poker in recent months.
Poker in Thailand seemed to be on a promising track. The World Poker Tour broke barriers by hosting a WPT Prime event in Thailand this summer. The tournament did feature some odd nomenclature and details. It was termed an “Exhibition” and paid out in “THB travel funds” (THB is the official currency of Thailand, the baht).
Some local reports claimed cash payouts occurred, and the opposition party reportedly objected to the event.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, who had cleared the way for the event, lost power soon after. Wechayachai had hoped to legalize poker on a narrow scale, allowing only specially sanctioned tournaments such as the WPT. The hope was that these events would boost tourism.
The new government, headed by Charnvirakul, has wasted little time in rescinding the short-lived policy and reclassifying poker as the illicit activity it had been.
