Thai casino resorts should be established in secondary cities, THA president says

Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun, president of the Thai Hotels Association, said locations should be chosen to prevent overtourism in major destinations.

Thailand.- Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun, president of the Thai Hotels Association (THA), has suggested that entertainment complexes with casinos should be built in secondary cities to avoid overtourism in popular destinations. He said this could help attract investment and more tourism to less-known areas.

Nikom Boonwiset, vice-chairman of a special committee overseeing Thailand’s proposed casino legislation, has said that Bangkok, Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, and Phuket could become the first four locations. However, in a discussion hosted by Krungthep Turakij, Chaiyapatranun suggested referendums should be held in these provinces and said that residents in Phuket are against a casino because of worries about overcrowding and traffic.

He also raised concerns about illegal hotels, money laundering, and unrestricted casino access and urged the government to create clear and strict rules to build public trust.

Thai tourism operators warn that legalising casinos could lead to drop in Chinese visitors

The opposition People’s Party has said that tourism operators are concerned that casino legislation could cause Chinese visitation to drop According to the Bangkok Post, MP Parit Wacharasindhu noted that Beijing attempts to limit the number of Chinese citizens going abroad for gambling. He suggested this has already had a negative impact on destinations with legal casinos, such as Singapore, the Philippines, and Macau.

In February, Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra met Chinese president Xi Jinping. Xi warned that the legalisation could increase criminal activity and lead to gambling harm. Shinawatra insisted that casinos would be less than 10 per cent of each project, and that they would be family-friendly destinations.

The draft bill to legalise casinos in Thailand approved on January 13 proposes 30-year casino licences with the option for a 10-year renewal. Complexes would be located in designated areas and operated by companies registered in Thailand with a minimum paid-up capital of THB10bn (US$283m).