The scheduled debate in Parliament over the land-based casino bill in Thailand has suffered a delay.
First reported by Bloomberg, the bill has been placed on the back burner but not shelved, in spite of some key opposition from the public.
This was somewhat embodied by the gathering of protestors that took place outside parliament, with groups demanding the government U-turns on the bill and the legalisation of casinos in Thailand.
Nonetheless, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has assured stakeholders and media that there are currently no plans to withdraw the bill, however, the government is instead focusing on more critical issues including the recovery from the recent earthquake in the country.
The impact of Trump’s tariffs has also taken centre stage when it comes to the focus of the government as they continue to wreak turmoil on global markets.
Shinawatra reportedly emphasised that communications will be strengthened and consistent in a bid to ensure that citizens in the region have a deeper understanding of the bill.
Controversial inclusions in the bill
The key decision in the draft bill that caused controversy was the move to essentially exclude Thai citizens from the venues.
There was significant political speculation over this inclusion prior to the bill’s progress last month.
It had been implied that the hurdles for Thai residents would be scrapped in a bid to halt any potential black market. However, the government opted to take a dramatic last-minute U-turn on this decision.
As a result, citizens will need to meet a THB50m deposit requirement and a THB5,000 entry fee to enter casinos. For a time, it seemed the legislation was moving in a different direction, especially after public consultation provided support for the legalisation of casinos, but not for the significant restrictions on Thai residents.
Nonetheless, Shinawatra has underlined that the new framework is not yet cemented and changes may happen.
Ensuring that casinos are entertainment venues has been an ardent focus of the bill, leading to a 10% limit on floorspace utilised for gambling, a stipulation which was included in the approved draft bill.
This element of the legislation was raised in public consultation. Many respondents felt that this should be changed to allow more venue floor space to be used for gambling.
