Gambling in Thai

“Gambling” in Thai is การพนันgaan-pá-nan; you'll also hear พนันpá-nan (to bet).

การพนัน gaan-pá-nan

gambling noun

gaan mid
pá high
nan mid

High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.

พนัน pá-nan

to bet, to gamble verb

pá high
nan mid

High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.

How to use it

Most gambling is against the law in Thailand: the legal exceptions are the state lottery, ลอตเตอรี่láwt-dtoe-rîi, and betting at licensed horse races. Card games for money and football betting are illegal, though common, and illegal gambling dens, บ่อนbàwn, are raided regularly. Among friends, พนันกันไหมpá-nan gan mǎi, wanna bet?, is just a challenge.

Other spellings you'll see

There's no single official way to write Thai in English letters. We mark the tone of every syllable; online you'll also find:

kan panan

More news and society in Thai

All news and society

กลุ่ม glùm Group
สังคม sǎng-kom Society
ผล pǒn Result
result, outcome
ระบบ rá-bòp System
มาตรา mâat-dtraa Section (of a law)
section, article (of a law)
ระดับ rá-dàp Level
level, grade

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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones