Leading international integrated resort operators Galaxy Entertainment Group, Melco Resorts & Entertainment and Wynn Resorts will join prominent opposing voices of Thailand’s efforts to legalize casino gaming for an event unlike any other – the Thailand Entertainment Complex Roundtable (TECR) – taking place in Bangkok on 5 June 2025. Inside Asian Gaming is organizing, producing and hosting the event.
To be held at the prestigious Grand Hyatt Erawan in Bangkok, TECR will be the only event of its type not only in Thailand but in any jurisdiction contemplating the introduction of integrated resorts – or entertainment complexes as they are known in Thailand. For the first time, global operators and major figures who have opposed the introduction of entertainment complexes will be in the same room at the same time, discussing and debating the issues that will make or break the government’s Entertainment Complex Bill, set to be debated in the Thai Parliament in July. It is hoped the event will educate, inform, and create new insights for all participants.
The event – which will be fully bilingual in Thai and English – has already drawn great interest from mainstream media in Thailand and will see widespread coverage in the Thai media with millions of the Thai public following coverage in Thai newspapers, digital TV and a range of online media platforms.
TECR will provide a platform for leading figures from each side of the debate to express their views in a professional and respectful environment while exploring how the industry implements best practice in other jurisdictions around the world.
“This is the seventh time in my 39-year career that I’ve witnessed the birth of a new IR industry,” said IAG Vice Chairman and CEO, Andrew W Scott. “The first two were the US and Australia when the IR model was born in the late 1980s and through the 1990s, then we had the liberalization of the Macau industry in the early 2000s.
“After that was probably the best-managed one yet, Singapore, thanks to the great work of the government there from 2004 to 2010. After that we saw the establishment of Entertainment City in the Philippines in the mid 2010s and the most recent was the Japanese process that had so much potential but ultimately proved to be anti-climactic with only one IR being approved amidst the disruption of the pandemic.
“However, Thailand could be the most exciting yet and in none of those other examples can I remember an event like this where both sides of the debate came together for this type of honest, authentic discussion. And on top of that we have huge Thai mass media coverage planned.
“It truly is a one-of-a-kind event, and we feel very privileged to be the organizers of it.”
TECR is a full-day event that will be divided into two halves. The morning sessions will feature four short presentations by eminent industry leaders who have held C-level positions for decades, each providing background on the real-world operations of entertainment complexes with a view to informing the afternoon’s proceedings.
The afternoon proceedings will take the form of two roundtable sessions, each comprising 45 minutes of discussion between the participating operators and opposing voices plus 15 minutes of audience questions. The audience itself will be made up of around 50 influential figures representing Thai society – such as captains of industry, academics, bureaucrats, NGO leaders and potentially some politicians close to the EC debate.
The event’s participants are:
CHAIRPERSONS
- Andrew W Scott, Vice Chairman and CEO, Inside Asian Gaming
- Veenarat Laohapakakul, Prominent Thai news program host
PRESENTERS
- George Tanasijevich, Former President and CEO, Marina Bay Sands; Former Managing Director Global Development, Las Vegas Sands
- George Choi, Head of Global Gaming Research, Citi Research
- LAU Kok Keng, Head of Intellectual Property, Sports and Gaming, Rajah & Tann Singapore
ROUNDTABLE
- Kevin Clayton, Chief Brand Officer, Thailand, Galaxy Entertainment Group
- Geoffrey Davis, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited
- Christopher Gordon, President, Wynn Development
- Thanakorn Khomkrit, Secretary-General, Stop Gambling Foundation
- Verapat Pariyawong, Lawyer; Advisor to the House Committee on Finance and Financial Institutions; Founder and Legal Advisor, VLA
- Atawit Suwanpakdee, Chairman, Committee for Industrial Reform Legislation; United Thai Nation Party
- Parit Wacharasindhu, Member of Parliament (Party-list); Spokesperson, Prachachon Party
- Narongchai Yaisawang, PhD, University Lecturer, Research Scholar in Economics
In its role as organizer and facilitator, Inside Asian Gaming invited a total of seven international IR operators to participate in TECR. Three are participating (Galaxy, Melco and Wynn), two cited their inability to do so due to the New York casino licensing process entering its critical application phase that week, and two others made a strategic decision to sit out.
“IAG respects that decision but notes those operators will not have a seat at this particular table and therefore miss a rare opportunity to have their voices heard in this conversation,” said Scott.
“But I would very much like to take the opportunity to recognize the leadership and initiative shown by the three companies – Galaxy, Melco and Wynn – and the five opposing voices who will take part in the roundtable discussion at TECR.
“It is one thing to express your views for or against such a critical piece of legislation in a room full of like-minded colleagues, but it is quite another to do so in the presence of other highly intelligent people with contrarian views to your own.
“My gratitude also goes out to the presenters who are some of the absolute best in the business. The presence of all 13 speakers at the event is a testament to the potentially transformational nature of the Entertainment Complex Bill and recognizes the importance of holding detailed discussions on its contents before further decisions are made. This is exactly what the Thai government has been seeking – better explanations of Entertainment Complexes, and to talk through the issues.
“We anticipate everyone in attendance will leave with a far greater understanding of the opportunities and challenges that a legalized Entertainment Complex industry will bring to Thailand.”
IAG will acting as a facilitator and honest broker with no agenda and no particular “horse in the race”. The day’s proceedings will be moderated by Andrew W Scott alongside Veenarat Laohapakakul – a respected Thai journalist with an over 20 year-long career including stints at Nation TV and Channel One. She currently hosts three weekly international affairs programs on online news platform The Standard and PPTV news station.
As well as the comprehensive local coverage to be provided in Thai and English by the country’s largest mainstream media organizations, IAG will provide extensive coverage before, during and after TECR for its own international audience.
More details on TECR’s background, rundown, planned content, attendees, venue and coverage will be published by IAG in the coming days.
