Earlier, executives of a world-class casino business attempted to meet with certain powerful figures in the government, possibly to lobby for the establishment of legal casinos in Thailand.
There was also a surprise move by national police chief, Police General Somyot Poompanmoung, who has openly voiced support for legalisation of casinos. His strong backing for legal casinos has drawn criticism on whether it is proper for the police chief to publicly back an illegal business. They told him to focus on tackling the problem of police accepting bribes from illegal gambling dens. Some critics also called for the police chief to be dismissed.