"Ice Rakchanok" leads the president of the Billiard Association in submitting a bill to amend the Gambling Act of 1935 to remove snooker and billiards from the gambling list at the end of the Act.
At 1:00 p.m. on 29 April 2026, at the Parliament, Mr. Lertsak Patanachayakul, the second Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, received the draft Gambling Act from MPs of the People's Party led by Mr. Nont Paisanlimjaroenkij, Ms. Rakchanok Srinok, Mr. Sunthorn Jarumon, president of the Billiard Sports Association of Thailand, Mr. Watthana Poo-ob-om, a professional snooker player, Mr. Atthasit Mahit, former world snooker champion, and Mr. Thepchaiya Unnu, the 2026 World Open snooker champion. The bill aims to amend the Gambling Act B.E. 2478 (1935) to remove billiards from the list of gambling activities under the Act (Section 23).
Mr. Lertsak Patanachayakul, the second Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, expressed his thanks to the MPs who submitted the draft law.
Mr. Sunthorn Jarumon, president of the Billiard Sports Association of Thailand, thanked the MPs and everyone involved. He said today is a very important day as all parties work together to free snooker from being classified as gambling. Snooker has been trapped in gambling regulations since 1935, for 91 years. Now, snooker is widespread globally, and Thai athletes participate in world, Asian, and regional competitions. With support from the legislative, executive, and government leaders to remove billiards and snooker from gambling, the Association can further develop its athletes. Under current law, youths under 18 cannot freely practice at snooker tables; only about 14 youths a year from certified academies can train, limiting opportunities for many young people. Thailand cannot increase youth participation in this sport as China does, which has hundreds of youth athletes. Finally, he thanked the MPs driving this change and said the Association aims to grow snooker to a level comparable to China.
Mr. Watthana Poo-ob-om said he wants snooker to be unlocked after 91 years. It has been over 31 years since Thailand had a world champion. In his 40-plus years playing, he has continuously pushed for this change and has not given up hope. He hopes this time the unlocking will succeed.
Ms. Rakchanok Srinok added that as an MP from the People's Party, she helped draft the Gambling Act amendment to remove snooker from gambling. She hopes for support from all political parties. The Prime Minister, as government leader, has emphasized publicly several times his support for unlocking snooker. Previous governments had no objection but lacked sufficient effort to push it forward. She appealed to all MPs, who likely agree on the need to unlock snooker so parents can support their children entering the sport without worry. This change will allow the snooker community to expand its scope and potential, and attract new generations to become key players in the future.