PUBLISHED : 1 Mar 2025 at 04:00
The Entertainment Complex Bill is in the process of gathering feedback from several agencies after the Council of State (CoS) recently completed its amendment process.
Suksit Srijomkwan, the prime minister’s deputy secretary-general for political affairs, said that the bill will be presented to the cabinet on March 11.
The Entertainment Complex Bill passed cabinet approval on Jan 13.
The bill included the specification that only 10% of an entertainment venue is to be a casino, while the remaining areas will be allocated for other services such as a hotel, a shopping mall, a sports club, a theme park and a theatre.
The government wants to promote entertainment complexes as tourist destinations with the aim of boosting the economy.
The bill also states that for Thai people who want to go to casinos and gamble, they must have at least 50 million baht of savings in their bank account for at least six months.
The bill is undergoing an online public hearing on the CoS website until today.
Previously, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said that the government is open to all suggestions, as casino development is still a new thing for the state. The idea for Thais to have a set amount of money in their bank account is one of the ideas, and this will not have an impact on investors’ decisions, she said.
She insisted that a casino is only a small part of an entertainment complex, as other parts will be for other businesses. Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat said the government will also have mechanisms to prevent investors using casinos for money laundering and to take care of social impacts from the project.
“The government does not only focus solely on economic benefits. We have been talking about risks and social impacts all along. We believe that entertainment complexes will be an important turning point for the Thai economy,” he said.