On March 19, 2026, Anutin Charnvirakul was elected as the 32nd Prime Minister by Thailand’s House of Representatives, after taking the interim position in September 2025, following the removal of former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Charnvirakul’s election marks the end of the plans of legalizing the casino industry in the country and a revival of
On March 19, 2026, Anutin Charnvirakul was elected as the 32nd Prime Minister by Thailand’s House of Representatives, after taking the interim position in September 2025, following the removal of former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
Charnvirakul’s election marks the end of the plans of legalizing the casino industry in the country and a revival of the Integrated Entertainment Business Act, an initiative which was pushed forward by former PM Shinawatra and her father, also ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra.
The Shinawatras believed that casinos could be a way to boost tourism after COVID, attract foreign investment, and create jobs. Her administration planned to build five casinos in the first phase, two of which would have been in Bangkok, one in Pattaya, one in Chiang Mai, and the last one in Phuket.
Charnvirakul stressed from the very start that Thailand would have to wait for another prime minister to get legal casinos and added that legal gaming would limit Thailand’s main tourism market, which is China. Additionally, during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Charnvirakul stated that casino legalization plans would be off the table for as long as he remained in office, which was followed by Jinping promising to support more visits to Thailand by Chinese citizens.
Top gaming operators were already looking to enter the Thai casino licensing process, including all six Macau-approved companies: SJM, Melco, MGM Resorts, Galaxy, Wynn, and Las Vegas Sands.