As Samak Sundarvej and his People's Power Party start to settle into their new roles as Thailand's prime minister and ministry, their government - Thailand's first democratically-elected one since the recent coup - is gearing up for the real work to begin. Legalising casinos, a hotly debated topic in recent Thai political history, looks set to feature highly on their agenda. This development is best considered from a regional perspective.

Authorities in Thailand have set up a special unit to try and suppress betting on this year’s World Cup. Thai’s are expected to wager over a US$1bn on the event, with efforts said to be in place to curb online wagering in particular.

Public statements by Thailand’s Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej have raised hopes among developers that progress towards developing casino gambling in the country may be imminent. But in the context of Thailand’s tangled political world such comments mean little, say observers.

The Social Development and Human Security Ministry of Thailand has asked the government to authorise the creation of a new body to oversee gambling services in the country and address gambling-related social problems.

Last year Cambodia shut the door on most forms of legal gambling. Sports betting, slot halls and internet gambling venues were closed in the crackdown. Meanwhile the government is attempting to use resort casinos as a tourism driven economic development tool, showcased most recently by the opening of a US$100m casino near the Vietnam border.

A new $100m casino is to open on Cambodia’s border with Vietnam tomorrow as the country looks to boost tourism through casino resorts, despite the lingering effects of a downturn created by the global economic slump.

Plans for an online lottery in Thailand have been left in chaos after the prime minister called for the scheme to be scrapped.

Controversial plans to introduce an online lottery in Thailand have been put on hold after the Prime Minister warned the scheme could face legal problems.

Slot machine operators in Cambodia will be required to obtain licences from the country’s Ministry of Finance under new rules enacted by Prime Minister Hun Sen at the beginning of December, GamblingCompliance can confirm. The new guidance adds that gaming machines will only be permitted in certified hotels, and not in standalone gaming parlours.

A web filtering decision has been passed in Vietnam which will likely be used to combat illegal online gambling among other activities deemed nefarious by the state. Meanwhile a casino decree remains in draft form.