Thailand seeks to block majority of locals playing at future casinos

Casinos in Thailand are, in all likelihood, soon to become a reality in the Asian country, but the nitty-gritty of how all of this will happen is still subject to debate. At a time when the legislative framework for entertainment complexes is being hammered out, Thailand has also proposed a new amendment to almost certainly block locals from playing.

Thailand could effectively block the majority of Thai nationals from future casino access

The existing legislation has already attracted significant interest from international companies keen to further expand their local clout in Thailand, specifically on the occasion of the country’s first casino resorts.

Among the early bidders for entertainment complexes in the country are the likes of LasVegasSands, Wynn Resorts, Melco Resorts, Genting Singapore, MGM Resorts, and Galaxy Entertainment Group.

For Thai nationals to enter one of the future casinos, the new proposal argues, they would need to have fixed deposits worth $1.5m, which will essentially render casino access for locals impossible, at least for the regular rank-and-file players.

High rollers may find this condition a minor nuisance but nothing to really sweat over. The new proposed changes to the discussed casino laws have been covered by The Bangkok Post, which has been keeping a close eye on the developments.

Another thing that has become an important point of the ongoing discussions is how the casinos will be integrated into the resorts themselves. New rules would want the casinos to be distinctly separated and not be readily accessible from the majority of other areas.

Further to that, the maximum casino floor will not be allowed to exceed 10% of the total resort area, which is in fact a move in the opposite direction. The previous rules suggested a 5% coverage of the casino floor.

Alleviating public concerns about the proliferation of gambling among Thai nationals

This new proposal comes in the form of a draft regulation which is yet to pass a second round of public hearings. The process will be ongoing through the beginning of March, before the country can make any more impactful changes to the upcoming gambling legislation.

The latest proposal comes at a time when the public has expressed concerns about the reach of gambling in society and whether the introduction of casino resorts would cause more harm than it would good.

Image credit: Casino Guru News