The world snooker champion visited Parliament to petition MPs to push for amendments to the 1935 Gambling Act, which has placed snooker in a legal gray area, leading to problems of improper benefit extortion.
At 14:30 on 25 March 2026, at the press room on the first floor of the Parliament building, Mr. Nont Paisanlimjaroenkij, accompanied by Ms. Rakchanok Srinok, an MP from the People's Party, received a letter from Thepchaiya Un-Noo, a Thai snooker player and major champion of the “World Open 2026,” and his team proposing legal amendments to promote snooker and remove it from the gambling annex of the 1935 Gambling Act.
The letter stated that snooker in Thailand is still restricted in rights and development due to the provisions of the 1935 Gambling Act, where it appears in Annex B, item 23 (billiards). This means snooker is not legally recognized fully as a “sport” but is viewed as an activity resembling gambling that requires official permission. This is a major obstacle to youth development and raising standards internationally. Furthermore, the law has not been updated for over 91 years to reflect current social and sports contexts. This creates a legal gray area for snooker, leading to improper benefit extortion and blocking opportunities for skilled Thai youth to openly and transparently access training and competition as athletes under international standards, impeding concrete advancement of Thai snooker.
The proposal outlined a two-phase approach: in the short term, amend ministerial regulations using the Interior Minister's authority to relax obstacles to sports promotion, such as waiving fees or extending training center hours to suit professional practice. In the long term, legislative amendments to the Gambling Act should be proposed to remove snooker from the annex and clearly define its status as a sport under the Sports Authority of Thailand's regulations. This would enable Thai society to transition snooker from gambling to a genuine professional sport, marking a crucial milestone for Thai youth to gain international recognition free from outdated legal constraints.
Mr. Nont Paisanlimjaroenkij said after receiving the letter that snooker has long been part of Thai society. The 1935 Gambling Act, which is over 91 years old, includes snooker or billiards in Annex B, which has prevented snooker from being legally defined as a “sport.” Receiving this letter is a step toward amending the Act to unlock snooker from gambling and bring it back into the spotlight within the snooker sports community.
Ms. Rakchanok Srinok stated that the government should unlock snooker from gambling following Thepchaiya Un-Noo’s achievement in winning the major “World Open 2026” championship, enabling youth to train and earn world-class honors with rightful recognition.