Thailand’s Pheu Thai Party – the political party that had championed the development of entertainment complexes with casinos – appears to have officially abandoned its casino policy, opting to focus on “wellness tourism” instead.
Yodchanan Wongsawat, Pheu Thai’s prime ministerial candidate, told Nikkei Asia that the party would now look to repurpose areas previously designated as potential casino zones for health and medical hubs instead as a means of attracting international tourists.
Under its former leader and Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Pheu Thai had placed entertainment complexes among its flagship policies with plans to develop up to five-large scale complexes with casinos in selected areas around the country. However, its controversial Entertainment Complex Bill was ultimately rejected by the Senate amid rising anti-casino sentiment and following Paetongtarn’s removal from office by the Constitutional Court for ethical misconduct.
In comments to Nikkei Asia, Yodchanan highlighted a flexible development strategy moving forward under which medical tourism would be a priority. He added that Pheu Thai – which currently holds 141 seats in the House of Representatives – is looking to win at least 200 seats of the 500 up for grabs in the upcoming election next month in order to ensure greater stability and allow it to work more effectively with potential coalition partners.
It seems, however, that even should Pheu Thai reclaim power, Thailand’s short-term casino plans are officially dead in the water.
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