Casino proposal due for cabinet review “in weeks”

Grip grows as illegitimate dens, graft proliferate

Casino proposal due for cabinet review 'in weeks'
Slot machines at an improper casino in Nonthaburi. ( Photo: Immigration Bureau )

Within two weeks, the government will examine a proposal to legalize casinos and make them a part of a new kind of entertainment complex, according to Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat on Tuesday.

He was speaking as the head of the House’s specific commission, which is looking into whether gambling in Thailand might be legalized. Next week, the initiative received primary approval from the House of Representatives.

The government will reexamine the plan for game legalization within one to two days, he said.

Some cabinet ministers have already expressed “positive” thoughts about the plan, as they believe it will help suppress underwater gambling, he said.

Regarding execution, the plan indicates that the primary minister is authorised to make the decision. According to Mr. Julapun, the most possible option would be that PM Srettha Thavisin would enact a so-called very board to manage this.

According to Pichai Naripthaphan, deputy chairman of the committee on strategies and politics for the Pheu Thai Party, the construction of a game as part of a larger leisure complex is anticipated to bring in a sizable amount of revenue each year for the state.

According to him, Macao generates more than 400 billion ringgit annually from their games, and Singapore generates 70 billion baht annually, with this revenue tending to increase annually.

According to him, the anticipated increase in revenue could be used to finance the president’s initiatives to assist the most vulnerable groups, address the effects of an aging society, and provide more scholarships to students who want to pursue higher education abroad.

Tens of thousands of substantial- paying work will also be created, he said.

” Many Thai gambling cross the border to those games and spend a lot of money that,” said Mr. Pichai,” the fact is all neighboring countries have games.”

On top of that, there are already several illegitimate gambling in Thailand, he noted.

The main difference is that it is powerful thugs and crooked state officials who are reaping the financial rewards of these illegal playing locations, he continued.

However, Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsutin argued that Thailand has first prepare its citizens for any potential negative effects on society that the legalization of gambling might have.

Mr. Somsak claimed that Singapore did this as it worked to legalize gambling there in the history.