Israel and Hamas agree to Gaza ceasefire and return of hostages
Israel and Hamas said they had agreed to a long-awaited ceasefire and hostage deal, the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end a war...
In a significant policy shift aimed at broadening participation in its emerging gaming industry, Thailand has scrapped plans to limit casino access only to citizens with fixed deposits of at least 50 million baht (roughly $1.5 million).
Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat announced Monday that the draft law will now permit Thai nationals with a three-year tax history to enter casinos, replacing the stringent asset criterion that would have excluded over 70 million people.
“This criteria would not be able to solve illegal gambling,” Amornvivat told reporters, adding that only about 10,000 deposit accounts in the country currently exceed 50 million baht. The revised measure is seen as a necessary step to ensure that the booming domestic market can serve as a major draw for foreign investors.
Under the proposed law, a casino entry fee of 5,000 baht remains intact. The draft legislation, which aims to transform Thailand into one of the world’s largest gambling destinations, will soon be submitted to the cabinet for approval and then forwarded to parliament before the current session ends on April 11.
Thailand already permits gambling on state-controlled horse racing, the lottery, and select sports such as boxing, while other forms of betting remain illegal despite widespread illicit activities. A Citi report late last year estimated that nearly half of Thais aged 20 and above could become casino players, potentially propelling the nation to become the world’s third-largest gambling hub.
The government projects that the revamped casino law could attract at least 100 billion baht in new investment, boost foreign visitor numbers by 5 to 10 percent, and generate annual revenues exceeding 12 billion baht. However, the plan faces domestic opposition; a January opinion poll indicated that most Thais are against the casino proposal, with several political parties warning that a gambling industry might exacerbate existing social problems.
As Thailand navigates these changes, the government remains focused on balancing economic growth with social stability, hoping that a more inclusive approach to casino access will unlock substantial investment and tourism opportunities.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
Israel and Hamas said they had agreed to a long-awaited ceasefire and hostage deal, the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end a war in Gaza that has killed more than 67,000 people and reshaped the Middle East.
Russia’s central bank has ruled the state violated minority shareholders’ rights in seized assets, signaling rare pushback against nationalisation.
A newly elected German mayor survived multiple stab wounds in a shocking family attack.
Cristiano Ronaldo has become football’s first billionaire player, according to Bloomberg, which tracks the world’s richest individuals.
Germany has ended its fast-track citizenship programme, reflecting a shift in public attitudes toward migration and integration.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment