Thailand gambling legalisation: 80% of residents approve of gambling bill

IMAGO

A casino bill proposed by the Thai Government has received a major boost ahead of crucial debates this week, as the country’s Finance Ministry revealed that a public consultation - regarding the proposal - attained positive feedback from 80% of those asked. 

The survey took observations from 70,000 individuals from 28 February to 14 March – with Thailand legislators keen to take the nation’s temperature on casino legalisation.

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Statistics released by the Finance Ministry fly in the face of recent headlines from Thailand; with one independent study detailing that 50% of those residents asked were opposed to the implementation of casinos.

A clear discrepancy on the topic exists between the government and opposition parties – as anti-gambling groups protest that lacking youth-protection measures, regulatory structures and money laundering issues will plague the proposed gambling framework. 

Campaigners also highlight that, under its current guise, Thailand’s Gambling Bill would ice out most locals due to a controversial requirement that all consumers wanting to participate in gambling activities must have at least TBH50 million (£1.1m) in their bank account.

On the contrary, Thailand’s Government hopes to see a significant boost in tourism revenue and investment as a direct result of gambling integration. Moreover, officials argue that incorporating legal casino establishments will strike a vital blow against illegal gambling within the country.

To alleviate concerns that the government is targeting gambling facilities at the expense of other important ventures, all casinos developed under the proposal will be built within large entertainment complexes – with only 10% of each building’s space allotted to retail gambling. 

Pivotal government conversations are being held between 24 to 26 March as lawmakers plan to effectively design a stable strategy for legal land-based gambling. 

Thailand’s parliament is expected to touch on issues raised by the public in this multi-day debate. Deputy finance minister Julapun Amornvivat said as much in a conference last week, as he explained that select survey-based recommendations will be considered and potentially implemented ahead of the bill’s final draft.

Operators seeking to enter the legal Thai gambling market must pay £114m during the first year of a 30-year licence. Thereafter, licence holders will pay £22.8m annually to retain their legal certificate. Such a costly entry fee is deemed necessary to attract white-hat and adequately-funded operators. 

Vice chairman of the special committee designated to oversee this project, Nikom Boonwiset, recently stated that investor interest remains high despite these high costs.

That investment is expected to play a crucial role in any legal structure – and potential backers will have a close eye on all four key regions that were unveiled last week to debut Thailand’s fledgling gambling industry: Bangkok, Chonburi, Chiang Mai and Phuket.

Whether the government’s figure on “positive feedback” accurately represents the feelings of the nation remains to be seen. What is certain, however, is that a decision on moving the bill through Thailand’s parliamentary system is expected before the end of the year.