Casino gambling has yet to become a reality in Taiwan, but one local official is already calling for its expansion.
Mayor Chang Tong Rong of the northeastern coastal city of Keelung has proposed that the municipal council should authorize casino cruises to boost the local tourism economy.
This isn’t the first gambling option Mr Chang, a member of Taiwan’s ruling Kuomintang and a figure of some controversy, has suggested to his constituency of 380,000. He has also advocated a land-based casino for the nearby island of Keelung Islet, an idea that has garnered little support to date.
Gambling ships operated by Star Cruises currently call on the deepwater port at Keelung, which is part of metropolitan Taipei and located about 20 kilometers east of the capital. The floating casino Mr Chang proposes would be housed on a decommissioned 100,000-ton liner with existing entertainment facilities.
Investment analyst Grant Govertsen of Union Gaming Research Macau said if anything was to come of the proposal “it could take several years”.
“It is not clear to us that casino cruises would even fall under the Offshore Islands Development Act, given that the port from which the proposed ship would operate is on the island of Taiwan,” he stated in a note to investors.
The act, as currently written, permits casinos only on offshore islands subject to the approval of local residents. Last July, voters on the island of Matsu approved such a referendum, but enabling legislation is still being crafted at the national level.
Mr Chang was indicted last fall on charges of interfering with police after he intervened in the arrest of a woman who allegedly had assaulted an officer during a traffic incident. According to news reports, the mayor forced the woman’s release by shouting at officers and threatening to transfer them. He issued a public apology, but six opposition members of the city council called for his resignation.
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