Cambodia is doing it. Singapore is doing it. Malaysia is doing it. So why isn't Thailand also allowing legal gambling? There are benefits to legalizing gambling, but unfortunately, the troubles that it will attract will not be quite worth it. In fact, Thailand may not have the resources to deal with the backlashes but that is only one of the reasons why it should continue to criminalize gambling.

For many advocates, there is nothing wrong with a person going off to a casino, making a bet or two to relax and de-stress from the day's work. In fact, there really is nothing wrong with a country allowing gambling as long as there are proper controls in place.
This is one of the many arguments put forth by advocates who want gambling to be legalized in Thailand. The current status quo of the country forbids gambling with the exception of the national lottery and horse racing, both of which are highly monitored by the Thai government.

However, the arguments against legalizing gambling are not without their validity too. The main question is can Thailand handle the detriments that usually come along with (legal) gambling? While it may be true that a country like Singapore can benefit from it, it is unsure if Thailand will be able to counter the corruption that will surely accompany gambling.

Even today, the level of corruption in the country remains high. Even though gambling is illegal, one may still find gambling dens operated right under the noses of law enforcement officers and bribery is quite common here. Many other places are still operating underground gambling despite having been clamped down before. With this kind of weak enforcement, is Thailand confident that legal gambling can be properly monitored?

Another concern is regarding the people. The majority of the people in Thailand are low income earners, with most earning below the poverty line. But even with such small income, many still flock to the lottery centers or underground gambling places in hopes that Lady Luck will look upon them favorably and give them wealth they can only dream of. When the win did not happen, they will keep going back to try again and again, wasting their hard earned money to the point that they are addicted to gambling. The temptation to gamble becomes much harder to resist then. If gambling is legalized, the people will be able to gamble freely, without the fear of getting caught. But how will this do them any good? The answer: it will not. It will only give them a better excuse to feed their gambling habits and potentially lead them to a financial crisis.

A government's responsibility is to prosper the country and its people. As gambling is a vice that often corrodes a society's morality, a government should not be in the business to support or facilitate it. Even though gambling may be able to boost the country's revenue, the harm that it will bring forth to the people is not worth it at all. This is especially true for Thailand as they already have plenty other problems such as corruption and fraud; they certainly do not need to add another one to the list.

The act of legalizing gambling is also a slippery slope in itself. If the government agrees to legalize this now, it will be much more difficult to refuse the legalization of other vices, such as prostitution and drug usage. If Thailand approves of gambling because of its monetary benefits, then what is there to stop them from also legalizing prostitution and drug consumption since both may be economically beneficial to the country as well?

Sure, other neighboring countries are legalizing gambling and may be benefiting from it, but the fact that they are doing it is not a good enough reason for Thailand to follow suit. Besides, Thailand still lacks a proper enforcement system or financial literacy required to mitigate the harms that come with legal gambling.