Thailand PM hears Chinese president’s warnings over casino legalisation

The Thai prime minister said she would consider China’s perspective on gambling.

Thailand.- Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra says Thailand’s plans to legalise casinos were discussed at last week’s meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping. Paetongtarn said Xi warned that the legalisation could increase criminal activity and lead to gambling harm. She insisted that casinos would be less than 10 per cent of each project, and that they would be family-friendly destinations.

She noted that illegal gambling is prevalent and does not benefit the public while a well-regulated legal casino in a special economic zone could generate tax revenue for education and national development. The prime minister assured Xi that Thailand would consider China’s concerns and said that Thailand is open to learning from China’s way of managing tourism growth and its social impacts.

Thailand’s draft bill proposes 30-year casino licences with the option for a 10-year renewal. It stipulates that complexes should be located in designated areas and operated by companies registered in Thailand with a minimum paid-up capital of THB10bn (US$283m). Analysts at Citigroup have forecast that casinos in Thailand could generate US$1.91bn annually in gross gaming revenue (GGR). That would surpass the GGR of Singapore’s two casinos and place Thailand “only behind Macau and Las Vegas.”

Former Thai prime minister criticises plan to legalise casinos and online gambling

Former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has criticised the Thai government’s plan to legalise casinos and online gambling During a seminar about gambling initiatives, Vejjajiva said the plan was “dangerous” and that online gambling, in particular, would cause a negative social impact by increasing household debts and crime rates.

According to the Bangkok Post, Vejjajiva said casinos would not be beneficial for Thai workers as workers from neighbouring countries would be likely to be hired there.

The Stop Gambling Foundation, along with a group of legal experts, anti-gambling advocates and representatives from various institutions and professional groups, aims to collect 50,000 signatures to demand a referendum on the plan. A survey conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida) found the majority of Thais to be opposed to the government’s plans to legalise casino entertainment complexes and online gambling.