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Thailand’s controversial new casino bill has hit a Parliamentary delay, with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra confirming that the cabinet will wait to make a final decision until after there has been thorough reviews and public consultation.
Speaking to the press, Shinawatra said, “I would like all details to be carefully reviewed. I don’t want the ministry to rush it to the cabinet because Thailand has never had casinos before,”
Adding, “There is no need to expedite its return to the Cabinet. Let all issues be thoroughly examined first.”
Initially earmarked for potentially up to six mega-casino sites at undetermined locations, the bill would see Thailand look to become a resort destination similar to Singapore and the Philippines, but this further delay is set to frustrate operators, some of which have already opened offices in Bangkok to prepare to get to work immediately.
The Thailand Entertainment Complex Act was initially earmarked for discussion yesterday (March 11th) according to a report in Asia Gaming Brief.
Previously, we reported that an initial planned requirement for locals to have assets of at least $1.5 million to enter its potential future casinos had been dropped, as it would exclude too many people (around 70 million), and this has now been changed so that Thai nationals simply need to have a three-year tax history to be able to enter the casinos.
However, a report a few days later highlighted that Thailand’s Ministry of Finance was set to keep the high bar, ruling out all but 10,000 locals, which would be a blow to foreign investors hoping to tap the local market.
It all seems a bit messy at the moment, but no doubt things will become clearer in the coming months.
