The Playing Cards Act is a law in Thailand that prohibits individuals from owning more than 120 playing cards that have not been registered by the Excise Department.[1] The current law was passed in 1943, superseding previous acts. The Playing Cards Acts are part of Thailand's strict anti-gambling laws dating back to 1935.[2] To ensure legal possession of playing cards, under Section 12 of the law, a competent official has the power to enter anywhere between sunrise and sunset to conduct a search.[3]
Despite strict laws governing playing cards, Thailand has a long history of card playing.[4] To meet the demand for cards and to control their availability, under the aegis of the Excise Department of the Thai Finance Ministry, a state enterprise called the Playing Cards Factory was authorised in 1938.[5] The factory produces over 400,000 decks of cards per month.[6] A factory-produced brochure shows the card brands manufactured by the factory.[7] The Playing Cards Factory also serves as a printer for the Thai government.[8][9]