Did you know that gambling is illegal in Thailand?
While it’s something that can be difficult to completely crack down on, you won’t find casinos anywhere in the country, nor will you find KENO in your local bar. For either of those activities, you’ll have to travel to the bordering countries to Laos or Cambodia. In fact, if you travel just a few hours east of Bangkok to the border town of Aranyaprathet, all you need to do is simply walk across the border into Poipet, Cambodia and you will see a number of casinos, bustling even in the middle of the day .
A Gambling Trip to Cambodia
As the casino opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. there is a full days worth of gambling to do if you do in fact want to cross the border for that specific reason. The people who visit these casinos are, for the most part, Thai, which is likely why the casinos are as close to the border as they are. If you are interested in visiting one, you can look up reviews on the following: Holiday Poipet, Golden Crown Club, Grand Diamond City, Holiday Palace, Star Vegas Entertainment, Tropicana Resort, and finally the Princess Hotel.
If you do want to cross the border just to gamble, remember to check what visas if any, that you’ll need to pay for. Also, because it’s far from most other places in Thailand, you will most likely begin your day in the dark and end it in the dark. This being said, it may be worth it to some people to stay overnight.
Staying Overnight
If you spend $750 in chips for the tables, the casino will most likely give you a room to stay in for free. If you spend $1250 you will get it for the weekend! If you don’t want to spend that much but still want to stay overnight, accommodation in Cambodia is very inexpensive so don’t feel like you have to put in $750 right away. No matter how much you gamble, you’ll still need a few minutes to eat and sleep. This little town offers shops, restaurants, massage parlors, beauty salons, exercise rooms, saunas and more so getting stuck there for a day wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
Loopholes
If you really want to gamble and remain in Thailand, you’ll have to do it like they do wherever else it’s illegal; in secret locations and hope you don’t get caught! But better yet, you can play the lottery, which is actually completely legal and encouraged in Thailand. You can buy lottery tickets nearly everywhere in Thailand for the state-run lottery that is drawn two times per month.
