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In Southeast Asian...
Thailand set to approve casino complex bill in weeks
The final draft of the bill to permit the development of entertainment complexes with casinos in Thailand, according to Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat, will be available for the Cabinet to consider in 3-4 weeks.
According to Julapun, sixteen government agencies had sent him their opinions on the proposal to approve sizable entertainment complexes that include casinos. As stated by Julapun, a special House committee tasked with researching the proposed entertainment complex wrote the original bill.
He stated that he would assemble the opinions of 16 government agencies as supplement documents attached to the draft, which would be updated in three or four weeks before being submitted to the Cabinet for approval. If passed, the bill would be forwarded to the Office of the Council of State for review before being introduced in the House of Representatives.
Julapun claimed that the 16 agencies provided comments on the project’s economic and social implications. Regarding the economic impact, all agencies agreed that such entertainment complexes could enhance Thailand’s economy. However, in terms of social impact, various agencies advocated ways to protect members of society from the negative effects of gambling.
According to Julapun, the 16 authorities also stated that various associated regulations would need to be altered before such casino entertainment complexes could function in Thailand. He went on to say that while the Finance Ministry led the policy analysis, the bill will propose the formation of a national committee to oversee the project.
Jullapun stated that the group will be made up of officials from several agencies. He stated that the entertainment complex project would generate between 30 billion to 50 billion baht into the country. Casinos will occupy no more than 5% of the space in each comprehensive entertainment complex, which would also contain hotels and other entertainment amenities.
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Thailand is a Southeast Asian...
