Thailand Reverts Back to Ban on Poker Under New Administration

In late-July, the live poker scene in Southeast Asia was given a tremendous boost when poker was recognized as a sport in Thailand. Widely considered as one of the most popular tourist destinations and home to many expats who earn their living through online poker, the good news barely lasted three months when it was all set back to ground zero. On October 22, 2025, the poker community was shocked by a full reversal of the previous decision by the Interior Ministry Order No. 3179/2568.

Business tycoon Anutin Charnvirakul came out of political turmoil in the last few months and was sworn in King Vajiralongkorn on September 7, 2025.  Charnvirakul is the leader of the Bhumjaithai Party and has reverted back to the previous strict stance against any form of gambling.

Poker In Thailand Illegal Again

Backtracking, the first-ever legal live poker festival was held towards the end of Shinawatra’s term when the World Poker Tour Thailand Prime Exhibition took place at UOB Live in Bangkok from July 30 to August 5, 2025. Despite being marred by several setbacks including a delayed start by one day and a heavily reduced schedule, it produced a remarkable turnout for the flagship event. The 37,000 Thai Baht Championship Event packed the house with 2,337 entries to generate 75,488,000 Thai Baht (~$2,325,052) in travel funds. China’s Haoran Sun emerged as the first, and now possibly last, WPT Prime Thailand Exhibition champion as a continuation of the series is looking bleak.

The zero tolerance for all card games, even those previously recognized as a sport, are now in place again with the new administration standing firm that it will not support any gambling-related activities, citing social and financial harm as a major threat for the Kingdom. Some forms of gambling are however still allowed including the nationwide lottery.

Under the previous short-lived leadership of Paetongtarn Shinawatra, a bill was introduced to legalize integrated entertainment complexes which were set to include casinos and establish Thailand as a new home for major international live poker tournaments. However, this proposal was ultimately rejected by a Senate committee towards the end of September when the new administration was already sworn in.

Instead, it has been recommended that any future proposals shall be subject to a national referendum. According to Focus Gaming News, Senator Sornchat Vichaya Suwannaprom proposed new studies to explore various different options to curb potential gambling harm on Thai citizens. This may include casinos limited to tourists only or the regulation of online gambling platforms, among others.

For the time being, it seems that all live poker related activities in Thailand are put on hold and a crackdown on illegal poker clubs may soon follow.