Thai House of Representatives pushes with plans for Thai casino

Thailand is inching ever closer to getting its first casino. The country is talking big about a Vegas-styled resort and may be effectively looking to compete with other Asian gaming hubs, such as Macau, South Korea, and soon – Japan.

Thailand is also moving on an expedited schedule, with the Bangkok Post reporting that lawmakers in the House of Representatives passed a full report of a proposal to set up a casino entertainment zone in the country.

This is the result of the efforts put in by a special committee set back in December 2021 which was tasked with studying what the potential benefits of setting up a casino would be. The committee essentially had to consider both the upsides and drawbacks of what such a project would bring.

Thailand wants to focus on bringing foreigners in, but it also wants to make sure that social ills do not proliferate as a result of an economic decision. There now seems to be an accord that a potential casino will bring along sufficient benefits that outweigh any drawbacks.

However, committee member Pakornwut Udompipatsakul insisted that the report was not in itself a confirmation that a casino was forthcoming. Rather, the report was a first step and the lawmaker insisted that a more thorough investigation needs to be done to better look into the potential impact casinos would have on the country, society, and the economy.

The current government may not even be the one to call the shots on whether a casino entertainment project can be set up in the country. However, Pakornwut is confident about the future and argues that should all go well and there are no serious issues, formal approval come within three years.

Some issues have already been raised. Lawmakers want to make sure that any future regulation that may be established would not end up turning the country’s casinos into money laundering hubs, for example, or add to societal issues. Resorts should equally focus on bringing tourism and entertainment venues, such as hotels, shopping malls, parks, indoor and outdoor eating spaces, and more.

However, the report outlines at least eight gambling activities that could be permitted, among which are exotic choices such as betting on the stock exchange index and foreign exchange rates, online casinos, sporting events, and more. In the meantime, the Thai police have stayed busy, targeting hundreds of illegal gambling operations as part of its zero tolerance towards unregulated betting and gaming.

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