After much back and forth in recent weeks, it was confirmed today that Thailand’s casino bill would largely exclude locals from playing in the venues.
It had been implied that the hurdles for Thailand residents would be scrapped in a bid to halt any potential black market. However, the government appears to have once again U-turned 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, Prime Minister Paetongtarn 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.
Backlash over the bill largely came from the Thai opposition party. However, when Shinawatra survived the censure motion against her premiership yesterday, the destiny of the bill was essentially secured.
Backlash from Beijing?
Any response from Beijing remains to be seen though, with warnings and speculation from the opposition party in Thailand that China may move to strengthen its own gambling economy by prohibiting visitors to Thailand – should the bill pass.
One of the more interesting moments in the timeline for the bill so far was the political discourse that was evoked following a discussion between Shinawatra and China’s Leader, Xi Jinping.
To the surprise of many, Jinping raised the prospect of Thailand legalising casinos with Shinawatra, going as far as to warn her of the social issues that could plague the country as a result of casino regulation.
While gambling is prohibited on mainland China, Macau is seen as the capital for gambling resorts in Asia.
Nonetheless, Shinawatra emphasised that the resorts are for more than just gambling. The PM also stressed the emphasis Thailand has placed on player safety and social responsibility in its gambling legislation. She added that the bill makes sure that Thailand’s integrated resorts venues aren’t engulfed by gambling and also host restaurants and entertainment.
