'The White Lotus' season three to boost Thailand tourism

Posted: January 10, 2025, 11:33 pm.

Last updated: January 10, 2025, 11:49 pm.

season three of hbo “The White Lotus” will debut next month, and with the critically acclaimed comedy-drama series in Thailand for its tertiary addition, a major casino operator in Asia believes the program will only increase tourism interest in the kingdom .

The Royal Thai Government is in the final stages of drafting legislation to authorize casino gambling. The unitary body of the Kingdom of Thailand is expected to legalize five casino entertainment complexes, or integrated resorts (IRs) as they are commonly called throughout Asia.

Melco Resorts, one of six casino licensees in Macau, China, the world's richest gaming market, has already expressed interest in venturing into Thailand. The City of Dreams operator, which has IR properties in the Philippines and Cyprus along with Macau, set up an office in Thailand to kick off the new year.

Thailand appeal

Lawrence Ho, billionaire founder, chairman and CEO of Melco Resorts, is bullish on the gaming industry across Southeast Asia. Speaking at a conference organized by the Thailand Creative Culture Agency this week, the son of the late “King of Gambling” Stanley Ho said he believed hbo “The White Lotus” will bring Thailand to the forefront of the global leisure travel industry.

The Melco boss said his company is waiting for final regulations before determining the scope of its bid for one of Thailand's gaming concessions.

Thailand’s exceptional hospitality and rich culture make it a premier destination,” Ho said.

Thailand had previously tried to authorize casinos but faced opposition from conservatives in the Buddhist majority. However, attitudes in the National Assembly recently changed, when a public poll found that nearly eight in 10 supported diversifying the country's leisure and tourism offerings to include casino resorts.

Legal gambling in Thailand is currently limited to state-run lotteries and parimutuel horse racing, although underground gambling is widespread.

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Melco Resorts has been looking to invest in new gaming markets for several years. The Studio City firm was heavily focused on Japan when that country commissioned three IRs in 2018.

While major gaming companies such as MGM Resorts and Las Vegas Sands had talked about investing up to $10 billion in Japan if they won the concession, Ho went a step further and said there would be no limits.

I don't want to limit my dreams, ambitions, passion and commitment with a price tag,” Ho declared.

Like Sands and many other casino operators, Melco eventually turned to Japan because the country took several years to decide how casinos would operate and be governed. The COVID-19 pandemic also put a halt to Melco's dreams in Japan. MGM is the only company to grow in Japan. MGM Japan is set to begin construction on the $8 billion project in April.