Thais split on casino bill, survey shows
The National Institute of Development Administration has conducted a survey of 1,310 Thai citizens.
Thailand.- A survey conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida) has found almost half of Thais believe that the bill to legalise entertainment complexes with casinos would not pass without the casino component included in the package.
The survey of 1,310 adult respondents conducted from April 21 to 23 found that 46 per cent believed the bill would be rejected if the casino element was dropped, while 33 per cent said the bill would pass. Some 19 per cent said it would be impossible for the bill to be tabled in the House without casino legalisation and 2 per cent had no comment.
Some 35.8 per cent of respondents backed the comments of Bhumjaithai Party secretary-general Chaichanok Chidchob’s saying he would reject the bill, while 28 per cent saw it as a personal stance. About 22 per cent believed he sought publicity but would eventually have to comply with the party’s position and 20.38 per cent said the Pheu Thai party would eventually manage to pass the casino bill.
When asked which they thought was more important in the bill, casinos or entertainment venues, 45.73 per cent of respondents thought neither, 27.24 per cent thought both were equally important, 19.47 per cent of respondents said entertainment venues and 7.56 per cent of respondents said casinos.
Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has said he is confident that the bill will “easily” pass its first reading in the House of Representatives. The bill was expected to be debated in Parliament on April 9, but the debate was postponed due to the issues of US tariffs and last month’s earthquake. It will be reintroduced in the next parliamentary session.
Analysts at Maybank Securities (Thailand) have forecast that casinos in Thailand could generate THB278bn (US$8.39bn) annually in revenue. Approximately THB195bn would be derived from gaming activity, while the remaining 30 per cent is expected to come from non-gaming segments such as accommodation, food and retail.
Analysts said the country’s large tourism base and relatively low proposed tax rate on gross gaming revenue (GGR) position it favourably in the region. They estimate that EBITDA margins for casino resorts could reach between 34 per cent and 49 per cent. That would surpass the performance of Macau and Singapore casinos, where tax rates on mass-market play range from 25 to 40 per cent.
