Thailand’s draft casino bill is currently being reviewed by the Council of State and should progress to the House for consideration within the current session, said Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat this week. The current session, one of two held each year, is due to run until mid-April.
According to The Bangkok Post, Julapan spoke with the Council of State late last week to discuss the draft entertainment complex bill and run through various details.
“It was good. They gave me some useful opinions, particularly their perspectives on the law,” he is reported to have said.
Among the technicalities discussed were the draft guidelines around which operators would be required to develop Thailand’s first legalized casino resorts, including a requirement to incorporate a raft of different businesses around the casino itself with the aim of attracting investment, boosting tourism and increasing visitor spending.
Julapan has also proposed that representatives from the executive branch join him when he further discusses the bill with the Council of State on future. Two deputy secretaries to the Prime Minister have already been appointed to attend such meetings in order to ensure the key principles and vision of the bill are retained, he said.
Singapore and the United States are the models upon which Thailand is basing its entertainment complex concept, Julapan added.
Asked about the contribution of entertainment complexes to the economy, the Deputy Finance Minister explained that he hoped they would initially boost economic growth from 2% to around 2.8% and eventually to a sustainable 5%.
The bill was passed onto the Council of State earlier this month after being approved by Thailand’s Cabinet.
