Thailand senate calls special session on casino bill

The legislation, passed in the cabinet in March, has been hindered by public opposition.

Last week, 1,200 people gathered in Bangkok to protest the bill, which would legalise five casino resorts around the country. In another recent demonstration, 300 motorcyclists rode from Government House to parliament to demand lawmakers drop the controversial plan.

To assuage the critics, Senator Sorachat Wichaya Suwanphrom proposed the senate panel, which will convene on 23 April. Its review should take about 180 days, a source told the Bangkok Post. That could delay progress on the bill until next year and approvals to 2027.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, according to gaming analyst Brendan Bussmann, managing partner of B Global.

Don’t rush a billion-dollar decision

“You only have one opportunity to get a regulatory market right,” says Bussmann. “The extra time may help guide that in a better direction based on sound, tested practices versus the spectrum of issues that are slowing this down and could limit the market’s full potential.”

And what potential. Estimated gross gaming revenue (GGR) of up to 308 trillion baht (£7 billion/€8.36 billion/$9.1 billion) per year would make Thailand the world’s third-largest market after Macau and Las Vegas.

The government anticipates a 5% to 10% rise in overall foreign visitation if casino resorts open in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chonburi and Phuket. Deputy finance minister Julapun Amornvivat has estimated that tourism revenue alone could increase as much as 220 billion baht.

On top of this, the resorts could create 9,000 to 15,000 new jobs.

Bill defenders: Not just about casinos

Pheu Thai secretary general Sorawong Thienthong has scolded the media for emphasising the casino aspect of entertainment resorts. “This is a special [project] to draw investors and generate revenue,” he said.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra derided the “political game” that she says is spurring the protests.

“The fact is that legal casinos would only be allowed to operate in 10% of each of the entertainment complexes – not everywhere in the country, as some have falsely claimed,” she said. On her Facebook page, the PM added that her primary goal is to lift the tourism economy, which is still recovering from Covid-19.

Thailand welcomed 35.6 million international visitors in 2024, up 34% from 2023, but short of the goal of 40 million.

Is this the end of Thailand casinos?

A 14 April headline in the Asia Sentinel expressed the worst fears of casino proponents. It described the current pause as a “possibly fatal roadblock”.

“Thailand’s draft law… may be in terminal trouble,” the report stated. The bill has been “beset by internecine politics and lukewarm public opinion despite the backing of political godfather and kingmaker Thaksin Shinawatra”, father of the prime minister.

Bussmann sees it as a chance to take a considered approach that factors in global regulatory demands as well as public sentiment.

“Gaming legislation is never easy in an environment where competing parties have opposing views and vested interests,” he notes. “The latest slowdown… provides an opportunity to settle on a model that provides the maximum investment and a regulatory model that supports that effort.”

But critics are intent on killing the bill, reports the Post.

“Our intention is to completely stop the legalisation of casinos, not just to see the bill’s deliberation delayed,” said Pichit Chaimongkol of the Network of Students and People for Reform of Thailand, which led the protest outside parliament.

Dr Warong Detkitvikrom of the Thai Pakdee party, another outspoken critic, agreed. “If the government keeps challenging the people, believe me, there won’t be any new parliamentary session for it,” he said.