Thailand’s reform council proposes legalising casinos

Home Travel Entertainment Thailand’s reform council proposes legalising casinos

• Travel
• Entertainment
• Hospitality
• Lifestyle
• Life
• Style and Culture
• Tourism

by Arno Maierbrugger - Jun 19, 2015 3792

A small group of National Reform Council (NRC) members has called for casinos to be legalised in Thailand, citing the presence of booming casinos over the border in neighbouring countries. They said Pattaya was the logical location for one.

Major Arnun Watcharothai and Kriangkrai Phumlaochaeng said that the casino-revival plan was backed by a dozen NRC members, including themselves. They pointed to the benefits the country would reap – additional spending and tax revenue from foreign visitors and high-rollers who currently have to head to neighbouring countries to gamble.

Past governments, including the Thaksin Shinawatra administration, had floated the prospect of granting concessions to investors to develop such entertainment and gaming complexes in Thailand, but the proposal ran into strong domestic opposition.

Calling themselves a group of “NRC members who love Thailand”, they said a formal proposal would be submitted soon to the government.

Arnun said the group was aware of the previous unsuccessful attempts to seek government permits for such complexes but believed that there would be significant economic spin-offs from this new proposal because Bangkok, for example, is a major tourist destination with millions of foreign visitors per year. The entertainment and casino facilities could be used as new attractions to boost tourism revenue.

There are now 22 casino facilities in neighbouring countries, with plans to open more in the next three or four years, he said, adding that the border areas in countries such as Cambodia would become a new gambling magnet similar to Las Vegas in the US.

Arnun said 80 per cent of punters in these places were Thais, so legalising casinos in Thailand would plug the leakage of foreign exchange from the country.

At this stage, Pattaya in Chon Buri province is among the suitable places for the government to consider for hosting casino operations.

Critics often argue that Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country, so the government should not legalise gambling, which is a sin, but some neighbouring countries, including those whose citizens are mainly Muslim, legally allow the operation of entertainment and casino complexes.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha has distanced himself from the issue, but said such ideas should be listened to and the proposal would be submitted for the government’s consideration through appropriate channels after the matter was fully debated publicly.

“Whatever ideas you have about the casino issue, propose them and discuss them. Isn’t Thailand a democratic country?” he said.

Support ASEAN news

Investvine has been a consistent voice in ASEAN news for more than a decade. From breaking news to exclusive interviews with key ASEAN leaders, we have brought you factual and engaging reports – the stories that matter, free of charge.

Like many news organisations, we are striving to survive in an age of reduced advertising and biased journalism. Our mission is to rise above today’s challenges and chart tomorrow’s world with clear, dependable reporting.

Support us now with a donation of your choosing. Your contribution will help us shine a light on important ASEAN stories, reach more people and lift the manifold voices of this dynamic, influential region.

 

 

A small group of National Reform Council (NRC) members has called for casinos to be legalised in Thailand, citing the presence of booming casinos over the border in neighbouring countries. They said Pattaya was the logical location for one. Major Arnun Watcharothai and Kriangkrai Phumlaochaeng said that the casino-revival plan was backed by a dozen NRC members, including themselves. They pointed to the benefits the country would reap - additional spending and tax revenue from foreign visitors and high-rollers who currently have to head to neighbouring countries to gamble. Past governments, including the Thaksin Shinawatra administration, had floated the prospect...

A small group of National Reform Council (NRC) members has called for casinos to be legalised in Thailand, citing the presence of booming casinos over the border in neighbouring countries. They said Pattaya was the logical location for one.

Major Arnun Watcharothai and Kriangkrai Phumlaochaeng said that the casino-revival plan was backed by a dozen NRC members, including themselves. They pointed to the benefits the country would reap – additional spending and tax revenue from foreign visitors and high-rollers who currently have to head to neighbouring countries to gamble.

Past governments, including the Thaksin Shinawatra administration, had floated the prospect of granting concessions to investors to develop such entertainment and gaming complexes in Thailand, but the proposal ran into strong domestic opposition.

Calling themselves a group of “NRC members who love Thailand”, they said a formal proposal would be submitted soon to the government.

Arnun said the group was aware of the previous unsuccessful attempts to seek government permits for such complexes but believed that there would be significant economic spin-offs from this new proposal because Bangkok, for example, is a major tourist destination with millions of foreign visitors per year. The entertainment and casino facilities could be used as new attractions to boost tourism revenue.

There are now 22 casino facilities in neighbouring countries, with plans to open more in the next three or four years, he said, adding that the border areas in countries such as Cambodia would become a new gambling magnet similar to Las Vegas in the US.

Arnun said 80 per cent of punters in these places were Thais, so legalising casinos in Thailand would plug the leakage of foreign exchange from the country.

At this stage, Pattaya in Chon Buri province is among the suitable places for the government to consider for hosting casino operations.

Critics often argue that Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country, so the government should not legalise gambling, which is a sin, but some neighbouring countries, including those whose citizens are mainly Muslim, legally allow the operation of entertainment and casino complexes.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha has distanced himself from the issue, but said such ideas should be listened to and the proposal would be submitted for the government’s consideration through appropriate channels after the matter was fully debated publicly.

“Whatever ideas you have about the casino issue, propose them and discuss them. Isn’t Thailand a democratic country?” he said.

Support ASEAN news

Investvine has been a consistent voice in ASEAN news for more than a decade. From breaking news to exclusive interviews with key ASEAN leaders, we have brought you factual and engaging reports – the stories that matter, free of charge.

Like many news organisations, we are striving to survive in an age of reduced advertising and biased journalism. Our mission is to rise above today’s challenges and chart tomorrow’s world with clear, dependable reporting.

Support us now with a donation of your choosing. Your contribution will help us shine a light on important ASEAN stories, reach more people and lift the manifold voices of this dynamic, influential region.

 

 

Read More

jQuery(function() { jQuery('span.play button').click(function() { jQuery('#excert-content').toggleClass('hide-this'); return false; }); jQuery('span.play button').click(function() { jQuery(this).closest('.post').find('.toggleSection').slideToggle(); return false; }); jQuery("button").on("click", function() { var el = jQuery(this); if (el.text() == el.data("text-swap")) { el.text(el.data("text-original")); } else { el.data("text-original", el.text()); el.text(el.data("text-swap")); } }); });

• TAGS
• Casinos
• Gambling
• National Reform Council
• Prayut Chan-ocha
• Thai government

Previous articleUS startup brings innovative Islamic microfinance to IndonesiaNext articleMalaysia’s tax haven Labuan to position itself as Islamic finance hub Arno Maierbrugger NO COMMENTS Leave a Reply

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );