Bangkok, Chon Buri, Chiang Mai and Phuket have been named as the locations of Thailand’s first entertainment complexes with legal casinos.
According to The Bangkok Post, the locations were revealed on Thursday by Nikom Boonwiset, Vice Chairman of the special committee overseeing the project, with a view to boosting visitation to the various destinations. It is hoped, he said, that entertainment complexes will attract at least 50 million visitors annually and support the employment of around 40,000 people.
It remains unclear whether Bangkok could play host to more than one property given previous suggestions that the government could call for up to five entertainment complexes to be developed nationwide.
Most global integrated resort operators are known to be focusing their interest on Bangkok.
Nikom added that critics of the entertainment complex bill, currently in the hands of the Ministry of Finance while it considers feedback from a public opinion period, are placing too much focus on the gaming aspect of the complexes.
He stressed that each complex will feature a five-star hotel, world-class retail, an amusement park, a sports arena, a convention hall and a large exhibition center, with no more than 10% of the space being allocated for a casino.
The Bangkok Post also reported that the Ministry of Finance will accept public opinion via its website until today (Friday), after which time it will consider revisions to the draft bill before presenting the latest version to Cabinet.
Among the key details to be discussed are a proposal to restrict casino entry for locals to those with at least THB50 million (US$1.5 million) in their bank accounts.
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