A parliamentary debate on Thailand’s Entertainment Complex Bill that had been planned to take place on Wednesday will instead be postponed until the next session amid rising anti-casino sentiment and concerns the bill is being rushed through.
As reported by Bloomberg, Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra confirmed that the government would instead focus in the meantime on more pressing matters such as the aftermath of the recent earthquake and how to deal with the impact of the US tariffs.
“We will not withdraw it but we will continue to listen to all opinions,” Paetongtarn is quoted as saying following Tuesday meeting with the government’s coalition partners.
““We will continue to communicate so that people will have a better understanding [of the casino bill].”
Passage of the Entertainment Complex Bill has been coming under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks with anti-gambling advocates stating protests and a group of senators voicing their opposition to the speed with which the bill was seemingly making its way through parliament.
That’s despite the addition of a clause requiring locals to hold at least THB50 million (US$1.5 million) in their bank accounts to gain entry to Thailand’s legal casinos – a clause experts say would essentially force international operators to ditch their Thailand casino bids.
According to a study by IAG, only six international casino operators would be likely to bid under current conditions – namely Macau concessionaires Galaxy Entertainment Group, Melco Resorts and MGM China, one Genting subsidiary out of either Malaysia or Singapore, and US operators Wynn Resorts and Hard Rock International.
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