BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thai lawmakers will begin deliberating a draft law for casinos and entertainment complexes next month, a deputy finance minister said on Wednesday, as the government moves ahead with a plan to develop the gambling sector and draw in more tourists.
Gambling is mostly banned in Thailand, apart from the lottery, state-controlled horse racing and some other sports.
But successive governments have been pressing the case to build casinos that will attract more foreign visitors and create jobs and state revenue.
“The government will create a comprehensive law and prevent negative impact,” minister Julapun Amornvivat told a press conference.
“The country needs change, it needs a new engine of growth for the economy,” he said, adding that the bill should be finalised within the term of the current government, which ends in two years.
The draft law was approved by cabinet in March and placed tough restrictions on locals, including a 5,000 baht ($153) entry fee and evidence showing at least least 50 million baht in bank deposits, which rules out the majority of the population.
After it is approved by the lower house, it would need to be passed by the Senate before it is sent to the king for endorsement.
The government, led by the populist Pheu Thai party, hopes to attract at least 100 billion baht ($3 billion) in new investment in casinos and entertainment complexes, and expects a boost in foreign tourist arrivals by up to 10%.
Though most gambling activities have been outlawed in Thailand, illegal operations have endured for years.
Tourism is a key driver in Thailand, Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, and the government forecasts 37 million foreign arrivals this year.
Before the pandemic in 2020, arrivals hit a record of nearly 40 million.
(Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Editing by David Stanway)
