Content:
- Is online gambling legal in Bangkok?
- How to choose an online casino in Bangkok?
- To conclude
You will hardly find a land-based casino in Thailand, and even in its capital Bangkok. Online casinos are also at risk because most forms of gambling are illegal in Thailand. However, some players still find casino sites to play at and win real money.
Is online gambling legal in Bangkok?
It isn’t. In fact, no form of gambling except for national lotteries and horse racing is legal in Bangkok, Thailand. There are stringent laws regarding casinos and real money games. To be more exact:
- Casino venues are illegal. There are no legal casinos in any part of Thailand. You may come across illegal underground casinos, but it doesn’t mean you can legally play there. Once revealed by the officials, casinos get busted.
- Online casinos in Bangkok are illegal. There are no local betting sites. But regarding offshore casino platforms, they are available for players. Nevertheless, international casino websites are still illegal. Typically, they get blocked by internet service providers. Besides, there are some measures that don’t allow gambling operators to work in Thailand.
- Sports betting and horse racing. Most forms of sports betting are prohibited. But horse racing is legal. If you want to earn money gambling in Thailand legally, you can take up horse racing.
- Lotteries. Only lotteries sponsored by the government are legal. It’s the only form of game of chance you can play in Thailand.
Now, if you’re wondering what can happen if you accidentally or intentionally gamble in Bangkok, the consequences can be harsh. These include fines and imprisonment. No matter whether you are a Thai citizen or a tourist in Bangkok, you are subject to the law.
How to choose an online casino in Bangkok?
First of all, you are limited by the choice of casino sites. Because the Thai government strictly controls illegal gambling and blocks nearly every gaming site using cybersecurity, it gets hard for players to find a virtual place to gamble.
Besides, even if you’ve found the casino, your access to the site cannot be eternal meaning the casino can get blocked at any time.
Nevertheless, it’s crucial to play at safe casinos online if you want to break the law. Otherwise, if you register at an unlicensed casino, you risk being cheated. So if you want to play at a Thai casino online in Bangkok, remember the rules of choosing an online casino:
It must be licensed
The only way to gamble online in Bangkok is by accessing international casino sites that are based overseas, for example, in Malta or Curacao. There are plenty of trusted casinos that feature licenses from the Malta Gaming Authority, the Government of Curacao, the UK Gambling Commission, and other authorities. Playing at a licensed casino means being protected as a player. In case of any unfairness with payouts, games, or bonuses, you can address the regulator.
It must be safe
Licensed casinos online are automatically safe simply because they prove their security capability when applying for a license. Anyway, it’s still advised to double-check what kind of security measures are implemented. Usually, online casinos employ SSL encryption, 2-factor authentication, and other measures.
It must offer certified games
Again, if you register at a licensed online casino, you can be sure that all games are provided by certified developers such as Microgaming, NetEnt, Pragmatic Play, Evolution, Playtech, etc.
Casino game developers must also be certified and licensed. The major criterion is whether games are based on random number generators. It regards most online gambling games such as slot machines, video poker, scratch cards, table games, roulette, bingo, and others.
Sometimes, online casinos post information about the certification of games on their sites. For example, you can find an icon of eCOGRA or iTechLabs that proves games were tested for fairness by independent agencies.
Moreover, many crypto-friendly casino platforms allow players to check games for fairness live at any moment. The technology is called Provably Fair. It makes all results of games transparent for gamblers. At any time of the gameplay, you can address Provably Fair and check each game result for fairness.
It must pay
Let’s be honest, players come to casinos to get money rather than have fun. So every good casino site must pay fairly.
First, you need to make sure it offers your preferred payment solution. In Thailand, it’s best to choose e-wallets, online banking services, and cryptocurrency rather than bank cards and bank transfers. Banking transactions to online casinos will be blocked.
Second, you need to be sure you haven’t violated any casino rules such as:
- wagering requirements
- bonus terms
- general casino terms
- withdrawal limits
If you cleared your bonus and verified your casino account, you can withdraw money. In most cases, that’s enough to get paid. However, we don’t recommend cashing out huge sums of money at a time. Casinos willingly pay out lower requests.
It must support
Although there is nothing difficult in games, you may face trouble at any point in your gameplay. It includes technical issues, game bugs, payout refusal or delay, bonus problems, issues with loyalty rewards, whatever.
In all these cases, you need help. That’s why there’s a customer support center at every online casino. Usually, it works 24/7 and managers speak different languages. But anyway, you should learn more about the support center before signing up.
We recommend asking a few questions via live chat and see how managers reply: are they fast, are they polite, are they competent?
If you want to have better support, you can apply for a VIP casino club which provides players with personal managers. They are with you 24/7 via any source of communication: phone, SMS, messengers, etc.
To conclude
In Bangkok, there are only two legal forms of casino gambling. This is because of the Thai religion, Buddhism, where gambling is considered to be a sin. This explains why casino venues and online casino games are prohibited in Thailand. But there are still many people who like playing games, going to underground casinos, and visiting gaming websites. Still, let it not fool you because if caught gambling, this attempt to entertain yourself may turn out to be a trouble for you.
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