Entertainment <\/p>\n
The legislation, passed in the cabinet in March, has been hindered by public opposition.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>. That could delay progress on the bill until next year and approvals to 2027.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not necessarily a bad thing, according to gaming analyst Brendan Bussmann, managing partner of B Global.<\/p>\n \u201cYou only have one opportunity to get a regulatory market right,\u201d says Bussmann. \u201cThe 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\u2019s full potential.\u201d<\/p>\n And what potential. Estimated gross gaming revenue (GGR) of up to 308 trillion baht (\u00a37 billion\/\u20ac8.36 billion\/$9.1 billion) per year would make Thailand the world\u2019s third-largest market<\/a> after Macau and Las Vegas.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n On top of this, the resorts could create 9,000 to 15,000 new jobs.<\/p>\n Pheu Thai secretary general Sorawong Thienthong has scolded the media for emphasising the casino aspect of entertainment resorts. \u201cThis is a special [project] to draw investors and generate revenue,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra derided the \u201cpolitical game\u201d that she says is spurring the protests.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact is that legal casinos would only be allowed to operate in 10% of each of the entertainment complexes \u2013<\/a> not everywhere in the country, as some have falsely claimed,\u201d she said. On her Facebook page<\/a>, the PM added that her primary goal is to lift the tourism economy, which is still recovering from Covid-19.<\/p>\n Thailand welcomed 35.6 million international visitors in 2024, up 34% from 2023, but short of the goal of 40 million.<\/p>\n A 14 April headline in the Asia Sentinel<\/a> expressed the worst fears of casino proponents. It described the current pause as a \u201cpossibly fatal roadblock\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThailand\u2019s draft law\u2026 may be in terminal trouble,\u201d the report stated. The bill has been \u201cbeset by internecine politics and lukewarm public opinion despite the backing of political godfather and kingmaker Thaksin Shinawatra\u201d, father of the prime minister.<\/p>\n Bussmann sees it as a chance to take a considered approach that factors in global regulatory demands as well as public sentiment.<\/p>\n \u201cGaming legislation is never easy in an environment where competing parties have opposing views and vested interests,\u201d he notes. \u201cThe latest slowdown\u2026 provides an opportunity to settle on a model that provides the maximum investment and a regulatory model that supports that effort.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThailand\u2019s Entertainment Complex Bill, which stalled on its way to parliament, is now the subject of a special senate review. The latest development could push legalisation to 2026 or beyond.<\/strong><\/p>\nDon\u2019t rush a billion-dollar decision<\/h2>\n
Bill defenders: Not just about casinos<\/h2>\n
Is this the end of Thailand casinos?<\/h2>\n