Thailand PM reaffirms no-gaming policy to Chinese president

In a meeting last week with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said his government does not support legal casinos and will not pursue shelved gaming legislation while he is in office. In return, Xi pledged to encourage Chinese tourism to Thailand.

Speaking at Wing 6 in Bangkok following his return Saturday, Anutin said Xi was “satisfied with the confirmation”.

“The talks went well and were full of mutual understanding,” he continued. “President Xi appeared more at ease when he learned that the current Thai government has no policy to legalise casinos. This means the Chinese government will support its citizens in visiting Thailand with confidence.”

The leaders met at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings held Friday-Saturday in South Korea. This year’s APEC theme: “Building a Sustainable Tomorrow”.

Anutin declared anti-casino position following election

Anutin was elected 5 September, shortly after former Thailand prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was impeached on ethics violations. From the start, the Bhumjaithai Party leader said Thailand would have to “wait for another prime minister” to get legal casinos.

Paetongtarn supported the Entertainment Complex Bill, passed by the cabinet in early 2025. The Ministry of Finance maintained that the industry would:
– Attract 5% to 10% more tourists arrive annually, spending from US$1,296 to $1,945 per person
– Double tourism revenue from $3.5 billion to $7 billion
– Create up to 15,300 new jobs
– Bring in more than $2.9 billion in new investment
– Earn from $354 million to $1.1 billion in government revenue annually

But the plan sparked Xi’s displeasure. In February, when Paetongtarn visited Beijing, he urged her to reconsider the bill, warning that casinos increase the risk of crime.

According to Anutin, the recommendation included an implicit warning: that Xi would “implement measures to significantly reduce Chinese travel, trade and investment with Thailand” if the bill passed.

Chinese visitation to Thailand down 34% in H1

According to Nation Thailand, Chinese arrivals dropped 34% in the first half of 2025. Factors included economic uncertainties as well as safety concerns following a 28 March earthquake in Myanmar, which caused significant tremors in parts of Thailand. As a result, the Tourism Authority of Thailand cut its yearly forecast for foreign arrivals from 37 million to 33 million, well below the peak of 40 million who visited in 2019.

Thanapol Cheewarattanaporn, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, said China remains an essential market for the Thailand tourism economy. “Reducing our reliance completely is difficult,” he said In July. “Our priority now is to maintain travel flows given the sheer size of the Chinese market base.”

Xi has indicated he will support China-Thailand cooperation across multiple sectors, including trade, investment and cultural exchange as well as tourism.