Editor
The World Poker Tour (WPT) is breaking some barriers by setting up a maiden voyage to Thailand. While the exact dates of the WPT series in Bangkok have not been announced yet, the WPT confirmed that 2025 will be the year that the series makes its debut in the Southeast Asian country.
This announcement is most notable for its backing from the Thailand Ministry of Tourism and Sports. This shows that Thailand views poker as a competitive mind sport rather than strictly just gambling, which is opposite to the angle that the governments of most countries seem to take. It goes hand in hand with poker’s overall push to be viewed as a mind sport.
On the other hand, Thailand noted that the introduction of the WPT has the potential to boost tourism and the local economy. The Minister of Tourism and Sports reiterated that poker qualifies as a sport under Thai policy.
To make this all possible, Thai law had to approve the legalization. The Thai cabinet approved a draft law for casinos and entertainment complexes as the government looks to attract more tourists and build a major gaming industry. At the moment, gambling is mostly banned in Thailand outside of some small state-controlled horse racing.
Tourism is already a main driver of Thai’s economy and the hope is the legalization of casinos will only increase that.
The WPT plans to make this an annual event, turning Thailand into a major hub for poker in Southeast Asia. It will likely attract players from the entire region, including nearby Malaysia and Singapore. If the APT numbers are anything to go by, the WPT will be hoping for big numbers as poker has been growing in Asia overall.
One of the exciting things about the WPT tour is that it will be the first poker tournaments to ever be held in Thailand.
The WPT will also be in Asia in August for WPT Prime Taiwan in Taipei. So seeing where WPT Thailand falls on the calendar will be interesting.
