A bill that would set up entertainment complexes across Thailand focuses more on having casinos rather than providing clarity about how the country will benefit from the revenue, the Stop Gambling Foundation says. The anti-gambling group has slammed the Entertainment Complex Bill, which the Finance Ministry plans to present to cabinet this month.
Bangkok Post quoted Thanakorn Komkrit, secretary-general of the foundation, who expressed concerns about the bill’s details, which ‘diverge significantly’ from the initial Singapore model of opening a regulated entertainment complex business.
According to the group, the bill allows for significant downgrades of entertainment complex features promised earlier, such as luxury hotels and shopping malls, which could affect revenue. Instead, the focus has shifted almost entirely to casinos.
Key elements like conference halls and concert venues are no longer included in the plan, Thanakorn said, and vague regulations in the bill could lead to inconsistencies in policy implementation governing complex operations.
Another contentious provision involves entry fees for Thai citizens, capped at 5,000 baht ($146) per head. Critics argue this fee could be slashed in the future or waived altogether, making casinos accessible to locals and pandering to gambling. The absence of a dedicated oversight agency and a fund to mitigate gambling-related harms also raises red flags.
“Most importantly, it’s unclear how much the country will benefit from the bill as it doesn’t provide clear details about tax collection [from related commercial activities],” said Thanakorn.
He added the bill grants sweeping powers to a policy board chaired by the prime minister, allowing it to determine the locations of the complexes, license holders, and tax rates without requiring public opinion.
As a result, the board might favor investors of the entertainment complexes by imposing low-rate tax and allowing them to hold their licenses for up to 30 years and lease land for up to 99 years, Thanakorn said.
Despite the concerns levied by opponents, Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat argues the bill can be a game-changer for the economy, potentially boosting GDP by 0.2% during the investment period and at least 0.7% after the project begins.
The bill outlines a framework for integrated facilities, including malls, hotels, sports arenas, and theme parks. However, casinos remain the focal point, with 30-year licenses available for 5 billion baht ($145 million), plus annual fees of 1 billion baht (29 million).
The Finance Ministry estimates investments of over 100 billion baht ($2.9 billion) per complex, generating annual revenues of 40–50 billion ($1.1 billion) baht.
