Thai Senate committee calls for withdrawal of casino bill
A parliamentary panel says the draft law violates the constitution.
Thailand.- The Senate committee reviewing the bill to legalise casino in entertainment complexes has urged the government to withdraw the proposal. After two months of study, the panel concluded that the draft legislation is economically unconvincing and potentially unconstitutional.
Senator Veerapun Suvannamai, chair of the committee, said the proposal may breach multiple sections of the 2017 Constitution, including Articles 3, 58, 63, and 65, because it originally failed to disclose that casino gaming would be part of the entertainment complex framework. He said this lack of transparency goes could make the bill vulnerable to legal challenges in the Constitutional Court.
The committee also dismissed the argument that legal casinos could effectively reduce illegal gambling in the country. It noted that under the current proposal, only about 10,000 wealthy Thais would be eligible to gamble in legal venues, making it unlikely that many gamblers would shift to the formal sector.
“There’s not enough evidence that legalising casinos will significantly boost GDP,” Veerapun said, referencing data from the National Economic and Social Development Council showing a global decline in casino revenues. “Most of the profits go to private investors, not to the state.”
“Deferring the debate is not enough. The government should withdraw the bill altogether,” he added.
The Senate’s recommendation follows growing political tensions over the bill. The ruling Pheu Thai Party has seen its coalition weaken after the Bhumjaithai Party withdrew. While the government initially planned to present the bill for a first reading in Parliament on July 9, the review has been postponed indefinitely. Officials said they would wait for a more favourable political climate to reintroduce the measure.
