Sports Betting in Thailand: Horse Racing - Gambling - Games

Sport betting is one of few types of gambling enjoyed by many. In Thailand, it is the only type of sports gambling allowed so it is no wonder it is also a regular activity in the country. Even if you are not a fan of horse racing or gambling, you can easily get caught in the excitement.

Among all the Asian countries, Thailand remains to be one of the few ones that still criminalize gambling. Gambling is generally illegal here, but horse racing, other than the national or state lottery, is legal. The Thai government is very strict in this, so if one is to do some gambling, however recreational it may be, it should be done in the legal way. This is more or less to say that a person does not have much choice when comes gambling in Thailand. Of course, there are plenty of illegal or underground gambling centers around; however, the risks to that is higher and do not concern around the laws alone but also the people who run them. More often than not, these illegal or underground gambling activities are part of organized crimes.

In general however, horse racing is not a strange sight to the Thai society. In fact, for the higher class society, this is a form of recreational activity as much as it is a form of gambling. One can usually find horse racing either in the country sides or in exclusive clubs. Even though the exclusive clubs are usually reserved to members only, the horse racing events that take place in them are regularly open to public as well. The Royal Bangkok Sports Club and the Royal Turf Club in Bangkok are two exclusive clubs that have official race tracks and they are said to host horse racing events every Sunday, alternating between one club and another.

Horse racing started out in Thailand over a century ago, around the year of 1980s. It was said that the first Western style horse racing was during the return of King Rama V, when the civil servants and students organized a race to welcome the return of the King from the States. Soon after, there were increased interests towards the Western style horse races. The King himself had wanted to introduce the sport to his country while also improving the standards of horse breeding and sports clubs that have facilities that can match up to international clubs in other countries. The opening of Royal Bangkok Sports Club in the year 1901, on a land donated by the King, marked the official beginning of horse racing in Thailand.

Horse racing remained to be one of the popular sports (for both enjoyment and gambling) since it took root about a century ago – the weekly races with about 10 races each time is proof of that. The Royal Turf Club also holds four major competitions every year; they are the Chairman’s Cup, the Ram Rakop Cup, the Royal Darby Cup, and the Phraya Pradipatpubal Cup. The earnings from horse racing can be quite profitable too; the admission fee to the Royal Bangkok Sports Club and the Royal Turf Club is only about 50 to 100 Baht, but the races occur every week and there are always plenty of spectators as this is one of the favorite Thai activities. The betting turnover per race day for horse racing is also very high and has been known to go over the threshold of 100 million Baht. However, the expenses and prize money are no small amount either; they can also range from 6 to 10 million Baht per race day.