Taiwan’s casinos even closer

The much anticipated legislative frame could be agreed on during January and Taiwan could open its first casino in 2019.

Taiwan.- After much speculation, as early as this month, Parliament could give the final approval to the Casino Management Act, which would allow offshore islands under Taipei’s authority to accept bids for resort-casino projects, as outlined in the act.

With the approval, Taiwan -located just by China, Asia’s top source of gamblers- would be able to start competing with the Philippines, Singapore and even Macau, for Asia business, estimated in an annual US$50bn.

In 2009 Taiwan’s government lifted prohibition on gambling – in relation to Taiwan’s outlying island chains of Matsu, Kinmen and Penghu- and three years later, in a referendum the residents of Matsu voted in favour of casinos. Therefore, Matsu, the distant archipelago, would be one of the lands that qualifies for developments right away.