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The final draft of the Entertainment Complex Business Act will be ready for Cabinet approval next month. If the bill is approved, it will then be put forward to parliament.
The cabinet approved the bill in principle in January 2025 before it was sent to the Office of the Council of the State, the country’s legal advisory body, for drafting and three rounds of public hearings, the last of which will conclude on March 1st.
The controversial bill proposes legalizing gambling within designated “entertainment complexes” across Thailand. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has emphasized that the bill’s objectives are to increase national revenue, attract greater investment, and address illegal gambling activities.
One of the primary motivations behind the Entertainment Complex Business Act bill is to revitalize Thailand’s tourism sector, which has yet to fully recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials estimate that the introduction of entertainment complexes could increase tourism by 5-10%, making Thailand a more attractive destination for international visitors.
Additionally, a government study projects that the entertainment complex initiative could generate at least 12 billion US dollars for the economy. Supporters argue that this influx of revenue would contribute to job creation, infrastructure development, and overall economic growth.
The Entertainment Complex Bill seeks to establish regulations for operating entertainment complex businesses in Thailand, as detailed below.
- Section 1: The definition of entertainment complex
- Section 2: Establishment and Responsibilities of Entertainment Complex Policy Committee
- Section 3: Establishment and responsibilities of governing agency
- Section 4: Authority and functions of related officials
- Section 5: Application for permits and criteria for conducting entertainment complex business
- Section 6: Measures to prevent impact from casinos
- Section 7: Punishment for violations
- Section 8: Transitory provision
Bill amendments
The CoS has already announced some tweaks to the original bill, the most controversial of which is related to section 6, Measures to prevent impact from casinos.
A proposal has been put forward that would require Thai nationals to hold at least 50 million Thai Baht, roughly $1.5 million dollars, in their bank accounts for at least six months before entry.
The secretary-general of the CoS has said that this requirement would limit gambling to those with the financial means. He also added that the draft’s contents are subject to further review based on the feedback received from the online public hearings.
Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, also a deputy minister, has said this specific proposal is unlikely to gain approval from the cabinet and joked that if it passed, he wouldn’t even be able to gamble.
One of the other most widely discussed aspects of the bill is the maximum allowable space a casino can occupy within an entertainment complex.
The original draft of the bill restricted casino space to just 5% of the total complex area. However, the Ministry of Finance reportedly requested an increase to 10%, a proposal that appears to have been accepted. As a result, casinos will now be permitted to occupy up to 10% of the total entertainment complex space under the current bill.
Timeline
The Entertainment Complex Bill is expected to be enacted into law by the first quarter of 2026. Following its passage, a feasibility study, investment condition announcements, and the bidding process are projected to take place between 2026 and 2027.
Construction is slated to begin in 2027 and is anticipated to take approximately 3 to 4 years. If the timeline proceeds as planned, the first casino within the entertainment complex could open its doors as early as 2030 or 2031.
