Amid a surge of contrary opinions, it would be no surprise if the The casino-entertainment complex bill that the Pheu Thai government has sponsored runs into hurdles when it goes for its reading in parliament in July.
Despite so, opponents of the bill and those who disagree with gambling legalisation generally cannot be complacent.
While people are focusing their attention on the casino complex law, the government is quietly amending the outdated Gambling Act 1935 and regulations under the Ministry of Digital and Social Economy to regulate on-line betting.
Some provisions will open the door for local and national governments to approve on-line betting activities such as gaming for boxing and football matches.
Since early this year, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society have amended various laws to regulate on-line betting. The latest draft law was put out for a public hearing in January and February, and 60% of over 4,300 participants agreed with the changes, while 40% did not.
The bill is expected to be tabled in June. Drawing such little attention from society and no resistance within the coalition government, the on-line betting legislation might fare better than the casino legislation.
Funnily enough, the Bhumjaithai Party, a member of the coalition, backs the on-line betting change. Chaichanok Chidchob, Bhumjaithai’s secretary-general and a Buri Ram MP, opposed the casino proposal in parliament last month. Mr Chaichanok was worried about the social impacts of casinos. Who knows what he will say about the impact of on-line gambling.
Interior Minister Anutin Charvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, says amending the Gambling Act as proposed is not tantamount to legalising on-line betting. The amendment will increase penalties for gamblers, and organisers of on-line betting. However, the amendment does open the door for local and national governments to allow some on-line betting acitivities.
The attempt to legalise on-line betting started in January, after former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra told a business forum that a casino complex would cost around 500 billion baht and attract foreign direct investment, with the complex possibly listed on the SET.
Thaksin also said that on-line betting in general can provide huge tax revenue for the country and that legalisation will make it easier to tackle on-line betting problems. His only concern was how the government could design and create enforceable guardrails to prevent children from gaining access to on-line betting.
It is unclear how much the government can protect young people from online betting addictions.
Multi-internet gateways make it harder for the government to intercept and block vulnerable groups from using it. With advances in internet gateway interventions or the use satellites, how can the government collect tax revenue from on-line casino owners operating from overseas? Without the ability to regulate internet, how can the governnent handle money laundering?
The bill legalising on-line betting deserves more attention from parliament and society. Without scrutiny and debate, the changes might provide far more adverse impacts than people anticipate.