PUBLISHED: 8 Mar 2025 at 05: 14
A revised edition of the Entertainment Complex Bill is expected to be presented to the government for approval next year, the PM’s Office Minister Chousak Sirinil said.
The costs will be presented following consultations with the Interior Ministry and the Finance Ministry about its glad, he said, adding the government has treated the act as an immediate coverage and wants to push for its passage as quickly as possible.
A legislation requiring Thais to have at least 50 million baht in their bank accounts for at least six weeks before they are allowed to enter a casino-entertainment intricate is back in the act.
Recently, Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat said that the condition had been removed and replaced by one that requires Thais to have submitted three years of taxes results before they can be admitted.
But, the Finance Ministry seemed to have second thoughts, and Mr Julapun later confirmed that the 50-million-baht condition will be included in the act as recommended by the Council of State.
When the act is tabled in parliament, Members have the authority to make changes as they see fit, he said.
Mr Julapun earlier disagreed with the provision requiring a big bank balance, saying that it fails to address the problem of Thais going to neighbouring countries to gamble. He said that only 10, 000 people in Thailand have 50 million baht in their records, proposing rather that Thais wishing to enter a game may have paid income tax to the Revenue Department for three consecutive years, along with an entrance fee of 5, 000 ringgit per person.
Kiatanantha Lounkaew, a professor at Thammasat University’s instructors of finance, voiced support for the 50-million-baht banks balance requirement, saying it does limit the number of visitors to such venues and help reduce negative social impacts.
However, the proposed requirement may not benefit local businesses and small- and medium-seized enterprises ( SMEs ) around the casino-entertainment complexes, he said.