Miss Universe Pageant in Thailand Targeted Over Online Casino Ties

As Thailand has sent a clear sign that it won’t be adopting casino resorts in a hurry, the country is now cracking down on prominent organizations that are said to have ties to online casinos.

One such is the Miss Universe 2025 beauty pageant, which investigators allege has been promoting illegal online casinos. According to investigators, contestants had received promotional materials in their rooms at online casinos, which are effectively outlawed in the country.

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Investigators were tipped after an image of Miss Philippines also showed a pillow branded with the logo of one such casino, and she was directly accused of promoting the specific casino brand. The Filipino contestant appeared on social media and directly asked her followers if they also followed her on the casino’s page.  

The case has already been addressed by the 74th Miss Universe Thailand Host Committee, which said in a statement:

“Miss Grand International Public Company Limited would like to inform the public that, following the recent incident during the 74th Miss Universe Thailand event, it has come to our attention that the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) promoted one of its sponsors associated with online casinos – an activity that is strictly illegal under Thai law.”

Miss Grand International Public Company Limited insisted that it had no knowledge or involvement in the matter and strongly disapproved of the platform being used for the promotion of activities that are prohibited under state law.

Thailand most recently overturned laws that allowed the hosting of poker contestants in the country, as, under its new Prime Minister, the kingdom has repeatedly taken a hardline stance on any and all forms of gambling.