A 60-member house committee tasked with considering the possibility of developing Thailand’s first legal casinos is reportedly requesting an additional four months to finalize its findings.
According to a lengthy report by Channel NewsAsia (CNA), the committee has asked for another 120 days to continue research and discussions once its initial 120-day period expires later this month.
Among the reasons given for the request are disagreements over what restrictions should be applied to local Thai players should one or more casino resort developments proceed, and whether the government or private sector should take the lead in such developments, according to comments made to CNA by committee member and Move Forward Party MP, Karit Pannaim.
The current 60-member committee, established after Thailand appointed the Pheu Thai Party’s Srettha Thavisin as its Prime Minister under a new coalition government in August, is different from the one formed under the previous government and which compiled a report proposing the establishment of integrated resorts with casinos in various locations across the country.
That report recommended the development of legalized casinos within broader entertainment complexes in up to five locations nationwide, with Bangkok and Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) – which includes the likes of Pattaya and Rayong – named as the most suitable locations.
It also called for casino areas to comprise no more than 5% of the total IR floor space, with the remainder to incorporate attractions such as five-star hotels, shopping malls, beauty and spa parlours, amusement parks, zoos, and indoor and outdoor sports stadiums.
Entry to casinos would be open to foreigners and locals of 21 years and above although the latter would need to show that they held at least THB500,000 (US$15,000) in their accounts for the previous six months.
Members of the current committee quoted by CNA seem to support the idea of the integrated resort model whereby casino gaming is located within broader entertainment complexes, as seen across Asia’s major gaming jurisdictions such as Macau, Singapore and the Philippines.
“People on the committee are thinking of the big picture,” said Dr Nualnoi Treerat, director of the Centre for Gambling Studies at Chulalongkorn University, in comments to CNA. “They know the public might reject this so that’s why they’re talking about entertainment complexes like in Singapore.”
Integrated resorts with gaming are also seen as an opportunity to combat Thailand’s significant underground casino problem, however similar agreement on whether online gambling should also be legalized to combat the rampant illegal online gambling trade remains a sticking point.
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