Thailand Casino Bill Shelved Amid Political Unrest, Gaming Opposition

When the National Assembly's House of Representatives meets next month, Thailand's ruling party will not immediately reintroduce its Entertainment Complex Bill.

The Bhumjaithai Party announced that it was leaving the ruling alliance of the National Assembly in the wake of a significant scandal involving the death of a Royal Cambodian Army soldier during a border clash with Thai troops and a phone call that was leaked from Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in which she seemed to criticize her own military.  Government authorities have chosen to postpone the contentious Entertainment Complex Bill in response to the public's strong resistance to permitting casinos to enter the nation.

Shinawatra's Cabinet supported the casino bill in January, which aimed to permit five gaming resorts.  Two properties were set aside for the capital city, and the government named Bangkok, Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, and Phuket as suitable locations in March.

 

Casino Activity Declines 

A key component of Shinawatra's premiership, which she only took over in August of last year, has been the deregulation of casinos.

At just 38 years old, she is Thailand's youngest prime minister and only the second woman to serve in that capacity after her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra. She goes by the nickname Ung Ing.  After her father, Thaksin Shinawatra, Paetongtarn is the third Shinawatra to hold the position of prime minister.  Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin's brother-in-law, was prime minister as well.

For the past 25 years, the Shinawatra family has been the most dominant family in Thailand, aside from the monarchy.

Thailand's economy is primarily dependent on tourism and exports.  Thailand was severely affected by COVID-19, and although some aspects of the travel industry are still recovering, exports are still being held back by a slowdown in demand worldwide.

The Pheu Thai-led administration was able to increase both domestic and foreign tourism, particularly from China, and draw in billions of dollars in foreign investment thanks in large part to the establishment of casino resorts.

In addition, the casinos would create thousands of well-paying employment, give the government instant access to license revenue, and produce recurring gaming and related resort taxes.

 

Not Now

The PM and Pheu Thai leaders have decided to halt the Entertainment Complex Bill after Shinawatra's political opponents demanded her to step down and public polling indicated that casinos are vehemently opposed.

Shinawatra isn't giving up on her dream of opening a casino, either.  According to party leadership, the postponement will give the administration more time to explain to the public how gambling resorts will benefit the whole country.

The gaming resorts will increase foreign tourism by up to 20% and the average trip expenditure of foreign tourists by 22,000 baht (US$675), according to the Pheu Thai casino law.

Following major developments in Macau during the pandemic, the Asian casino market is currently in a state of uncertainty.  China compelled the casino enclave to restrict VIP gaming trips that were packaged by junket groups, who were travel agencies that assisted the wealthiest residents of the mainland in transferring their funds through the tax haven.

Since then, Junkets have left Macau for the Philippines, Vietnam, and, in the years that followed, Japan.  Thailand might be a more alluring travel destination for Chinese citizens because it is centrally located, easily accessible from China, and more developed than the Philippines and Vietnam.