Horse racing was introduced to

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

in the late nineteenth century and continues to take place at several locations throughout the country. Betting on horse races is one of the few legal forms of

gambling in Thailand Gambling, other than betting on horse races or the government-sponsored Thai lottery, is prohibited in Thailand. The prohibition dates back to the Gambling Act 1935. The Playing Cards Act prohibits private ownership of more than 120 playing cards ...

, and the sport became highly popular during the mid-twentieth century but has largely declined since. Today, people from lower income groups form the majority of spectators, while the races serve as a networking venue for elite members of society, who own most of the stables.

History

The first horse race took place in Thailand (then known as Siam) in 1897, following King Chulalongkorn's visit to Europe. Racecourses were soon after established in exclusive sports clubs, most notably the

Royal Bangkok Sports Club The Royal Bangkok Sports Club (RBSC, th, ราชกรีฑาสโมสร) is an exclusive sports club in Bangkok, Thailand, best known to the public for its horse racing venue. Founded in 1901, it was the first racecourse in the country a ...

(RBSC), founded in 1901. The Royal Turf Club followed in 1916. Horse racing originally catered to Western expatriates and Thai aristocrats. It was seen as a civilized activity, and betting was allowed even when other traditional forms of gambling were becoming outlawed. The sport spread to other societal groups in the 1920s, and rapidly gained in popularity. As a result, it began to be viewed as a form of immorality. In 1949, the government ordered that races take place no more than once a week in Bangkok. Toward the end of the twentieth century, horse racing experienced a gradual decline as races became more restricted and other forms of (illegal) gambling gained popularity. Several racecourses underwent restructuring and/or change of ownership in the 1990s. The Royal Turf Club in Bangkok shut down in 2018. Today, six of eight racecourses throughout the country remain operational. In addition to the one left in Bangkok, there are racecourses in

Nakhon Ratchasima Nakhon Ratchasima ( th, นครราชสีมา, ) is one of the four major cities of Isan, Thailand, known as the "big four of Isan". The city is commonly known as Korat (, ), a shortened form of its name. It is the governmental seat of ...

Udon Thani Udon Thani ( th, อุดรธานี, ) is a city in Isan ( Northeast Thailand), the capital of Udon Thani Province and with a population of approximately 430,000 in its urban area the 7th largest city in the country. The city municipality ...

Khon Kaen Khon Kaen ( th, ขอนแก่น, ) is one of the four major cities of Isan, Thailand, also known as the "big four of Isan", the others being Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Ubon Ratchathani. It is the capital of Khon Kaen province and ...

Roi Et Roi Et (, ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in north-eastern Thailand, capital of Roi Et Province. It covers the whole ''tambon'' Nai Mueang of Mueang Roi Et district. As of 2006 it had a population of 34,229. Roi Et is 514 km from Ban ...

and Chiang Mai provinces. (The one in

Maha Sarakham Sarakham is the capital city of Maha Sarakham Province in Thailand's northeastern (Isan) region. Sarakham, as it is known to its inhabitants, is in a rice-growing area on the southern Khorat plain, straddling the Chi River. Mahasarakham is 475 ...

has since closed down.)

References

{{reflist Gambling in Thailand