Thailand is set to give the go-ahead to gambling and introduce casinos.
The Asian nation's cabinet this week approved a bill to legalise casino gambling.
The draft bill will now be assessed by the Council of State before debating it the lower house of parliament, said Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
The bill allows for gambling only within Las Vegas-style integrated resorts which feature various non-gaming facilities such as hotels, convention centres, shopping and theme park attractions, news portal Travel Mole reported.
Melco, Galaxy Entertainment and MGM Resorts are among the companies said to be showing interest in operating casino resorts.
The business community has lauded the decision as a boon for domestic tourism growth and the economy in general.
Casinos and most forms of gambling are currently illegal in Thailand, but soccer betting and underground gaming activities and lotteries are rife, with huge sums of money changing hands.
Well-regulated integrated gambling facilities already operate in Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
Japan has approved a similar bill to establish integrated casino resorts.
Image: Calanda McIester, Scop.io
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