Thailand to End Poker Tournament Ban, Boost Tourism

Poker is not an activity that you will find much of going around in Thailand, other than illegal underground games. Yet, the kingdom is keen to do away with the prohibition on official international events, which will now be returning to the country.

Poker was originally banned around 65 years ago, along with the permission to host tournaments, but Thailand is revisiting this, as several big events on the regional circuit could help boost the country’s tourist numbers, or so the hope goes.

Without any firm evidence, Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechachai will try to bring more people to Thailand by focusing on poker events specifically. Yet, the move can be a little surprising as poker circuits do not usually attract huge crowds, usually in the hundreds at best.

How big a poker event Thailand is hoping to get by overturning the ban is not immediately clear. This all is coming against the backdrop of talks about new casino resorts that could do for Thailand what it has been hoping to achieve – have foreigners visit and leave hard currency.