After cannabis, govt takes step towards allowing casinos to operate
After decriminalising cannabis, the government is now considering casinos to attract foreign money and lure more tourists to galvanise the pandemic-hit economy.
A panel of lawmakers submitted a report on Wednesday to Parliament, recommending the government issue a decree allowing “entertainment complexes” that include legal casinos to be built in key cities across the country.
The proposal comes as Thailand seeks to revive the all-important tourism industry, a key to rebooting the economy. The blueprint, if adopted, could help the country generate billions of dollars from foreign investors, travellers and Thai gamblers — who would otherwise spend gaming money in neighbouring countries, according to the panel.
“We’re focused on attracting foreigners to step up tourism and draw more money out of their pockets,” said Pichet Chuamuangphan, a lawmaker from the Pheu Thai Party, who is a vice chairman of the panel. “This will also stem the outflow of money from Thai gamblers and help the government collect hefty taxes for our economic security.”