More than other types of gambling, though, casinos can jump-start local economies, usually by attracting tourists who spend on hotels and shopping. They are also a major source of tax revenues. Casinos kick in more than half of Macau's government revenues and a full one-percent of state revenues in the Philippines. A more important public-policy reason for legalizing casinos is to wipe out illegal ones. Powerful vested interests in illegal casinos are a big reason why governments in Japan and Thailand have found it hard to open legal ones.
Casinos are also easier to regulate than other types of gambling.
Thais head for Cambodia and Indians to Nepal to drop large amounts of cash. If nothing else, governments want to keep that money at home. The key change, however, is that social opposition to casinos has declined in most places. It used to be seen as a sin but now it is seen as a leisure activity. The result will be a proliferation of casinos that will soon mean everyone in the region is only a few hours away at most from a chance to take on Lady Luck.