Thailand’s Council of State will oppose the proposed Entertainment Complex Bill, arguing that it violates government policy and fails to address the problem of illegal gambling.
Last month, the Secretariat of the Cabinet sent out a circular to various agencies about the bill, asking for feedback to assist with cabinet decision-making. The review of the bill has been moved up to Monday due to a royal celebration planned for Tuesday.
According to a source, the Council of State has significant reservations about the bill. The main issue is its focus on comprehensive entertainment centers, which seem to conflict with broader government goals to enhance tourism.
The government’s strategy is to develop integrated tourist attractions similar to Japan’s Integrated Resort Districts or Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands. These would include hotels, shopping malls, entertainment venues, and conference centers.
Opponents of the bill argue that its emphasis on gambling facilities strays from its original purpose of diversifying tourism revenue sources.
The council has called for a precise definition of what constitutes entertainment complexes to clarify whether they include hotels, restaurants, and other businesses already covered by existing regulations.
Although the bill aims to address illegal gambling, the council notes that the public associates comprehensive entertainment complexes with a variety of leisure activities, not solely gambling.
There is ongoing concern that the bill may not effectively curb illegal gambling due to weak enforcement of existing laws.
If the intention is to legalize and regulate gambling, the council suggests modifying the existing Gambling Act of 1935 instead of introducing a new law.
Furthermore, the council insists that the Finance Ministry needs to clearly outline the bill’s goals so that the cabinet can better evaluate its appropriateness.
Key features of the Entertainment Complex Bill include licensing requirements that permit gambling operations only within designated entertainment centers.
Licenses would set specific quotas for Thai and foreign workers and would ban advertising or promotions that focus on gambling. Access to these facilities would be restricted to individuals over the age of 20, excluding unregistered Thai citizens and other ineligible groups.
The bill specifies the types of businesses that can operate under this framework, such as shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, sports venues, water parks, and gaming facilities.
Casino licensing fees include an application fee of 100,000 baht, with initial licenses costing 5 billion baht and annual renewals at 1 billion baht. Thai citizens would be charged a 5,000 baht entry fee per casino visit.
The Finance Ministry advocates for the bill as a means to boost the economy, projecting an increase in tourism revenue of up to 475.5 billion baht annually, creating between 9,000 and 15,300 jobs, and potentially raising government revenue by 12 to 39 billion baht per year.