All forms of gambling, with exceptions of the government-sponsored lottery and horse racing in Krung Thep (Bangkok), are illegal under Thai law. Although illegal, gambling is something most everyone in Thailand does. My own mother-in-law lives in a tiny Isaan village, doesn’t know how to work the lift (elevator) at the hospital, but does know the rules of Bpauk Daeng (a thai casino game similar to baccarat) inside and out. Gambling is highly socially acceptable here, available in every province and village, yet somehow is illegal.
Thailand Gambling Laws and Penalties
Thai law states the penalty for gambling is a 1,000 baht fine (about $30 US) and up to one year in prison. However, living here and following the news I’ve never heard of a casual gambler sentenced to jail time. The big risk is the once a year round up (happens during major football tournaments) where the government generally makes 250 or so token arrests and perpetrators are left in a holding cell for a day or two while awaiting sentencing which always involves just a small fine. With so many people gambling in Thailand, the risk of having to experience this is EXTREMELY small. It is reduced to next to no risk when gambling online with a bookmaker located abroad such as BetOnline.ag.
Betting Online with BetOnline.ag
The best online gambling site for those living in Thailand is no doubt www.betonline.ag. Here you’ll find betting odds on all the major sporting events shown by cable providers True Vision UBC and Thai TV. This includes Thai domestic sports such as Thai Premier League football, other competitions held here such as the annual Kings Cup football, APT tennis competitions, the Thailand Open Women beach volleyball, SangSom snooker competitions and more.
Bet365 is also a truly international betting site supporting dozens of languages and currencies so here you can also wager on other popular competitions from around the world such as Euro, Champions League, EPL, Serie A, and La Liga football; AVC, Korean and Japanese V-League volleyball, badminton competitions, the Olympics and all sorts of other sports.
If you enjoy online casino, poker or bingo you’ll be happy to know BetOnline.ag has all three of these additional products available from a single website, and also has horse racing, and virtual games available for wagering. No matter what sport or gambling product you’re interested in Bet365 is #1 for Thailand.
How to Deposit and Withdraw
There are two decent methods for funding your BetOnline.ag account. By far the easiest is to open up an account at www.entropay.com and fund your Entropay account using your Thai debit card (example: Be1st card issued by Bangkok Bank). Just note the transaction will be declined if you don’t complete the Verified by Visa, or Mastercard Securecode verification. If your card is not registered for this service most likely you’ll be directed to instruction on how to register. If not Google search the name of your bank along with the term Verified by Visa, or MasterCard Securecode; at most all Thai banks registration for this service is a very simple process.
Once your Entropay account is funded go to BetOnline.ag cashier and select Entropay as the deposit method. From the entropay.com website, click and find the details of your Entropay Virtual Card, and enter those details into the required fields of the Bet365 cashier. This process take just a few minutes to complete and will have you all set up to use Bet365.com from Thailand.
When it comes time to cash out your winnings visit the BetOnline.ag cashier and make a withdrawal to your EntroPay account. Once the funds are in your account there are several ways you can use them. The first option (I don’t suggest) is having Entropay transfer the cash back to your bank account. This of course could make your bank suspicious that perhaps you’re gambling online. A much better method is to purchase from EntroPay a Plastic Card. This is a physical debit card that will be sent to your home address that allows you to take cash out of Entropay right at the ATM. This is BY FAR the best method. The third option is you can use your Entropay Virtual card to make purchases online anywhere MasterCard is accepted.
Minor Details Not to Stress About
There a couple reoccurring questions that appear on Asian betting forums that usually involve a stressed out poster being told not worry. To save you the mini-panic-attack, allow me to cover those items in advanced.
Entropay Random Security Check
Do not be surprised if at some point Entropay locks your account and asks you to send them 1) a copy of your ID, 2) a copy of your funding source, 3) a copy of a recent utility bill and 4) The name of the merchant at which you intend to spend. When this happens there is nothing at all to worry about, and it is absolutely fine for item #4 to tell them you intend to spend the money at a gambling site. Entropay is legal and regulated in the UK by the FSA and deals with gambling on a regular basis. There are no issues at all with sending them this information, or with mentioning gambling.
BetOnline.ag Account Verification
BetOnline.ag is licensed and regulated in numerous jurisdictions. Their local laws require them to follow a policy called Know You Customer (KYC) and also to verify you’re over the age 18. The KYC verification involves having postal mail sent to your Thai address and then entering the code the letter contains in the Members’ Area of their website. Note: this letter comes in plain white discreet envelope; there no worries about it being intercepted. Regarding the age verification this can be done by either reading them the numbers and letter on the bottom of your passport over the phone of sending them a scanned copy of your Thai ID, drivers license, motorbike license or passport.
More Reason BetOnline.ag is #1
The majority of Thai language online gambling information sites, recommend Asian bookies such as 188bet, Fun88 (AKA Fun788), Mansion88 (AKA M88), 360BOL, Dafabet, SBOBet, 12Bet etc. as the best options for betting online from Thailand. I strongly encourage you to ignore this advice. If you spend some time navigating these websites you’ll notice all of them post their bank account details and payment receiver/sender names somewhere on their website. If you use these sites it is very easy for the Thai government and your bank to discover you’re betting online. At Bet365 everything is extremely discreet you can access you withdrawal right at the ATM using an Entropay Plastic Card.
Betting Online from Thailand Conclusion
I’ve now covered everything you need to know about betting online from Thailand.
