so poker is apparently much more legal in Bangkok now
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...l-for-tourneys
a few days ago, a bill to legalize gambling and construct a casino got withdrawn from consideration, which was kind of a big event in local politics. it generated really significant protests when it was pitched because thailand takes a very, very dim view of gambling. like if you get drunk and decide to play nickle stakes at 3am, you can go to jail for that, no problem. and people, mostly tourists, do, all the time. so when this massive casino in the heart of bangkok was pitched, a lot of the locals got into their feelings about it and it got tabled. the logic behind the protesters is that gambling addiction is dirty business and its not in alignment with cultural norms, btw.
but whats funny is that today, they actually declared that poker was a sport, and they wanted bangkok to be some sort of international hub for poker tournaments.
its still early in the process of course and there could be bumps in the road still but this looks like its going to stick.
