Bangkok Port 'a viable casino site'
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Bangkok Port 'a viable casino site'

Ministry adds it to list for new complex

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Bangkok Port in Klong Toey area. The Transport Ministry has given the green light for Bangkok Port to house an integrated entertainment complex. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)
Bangkok Port in Klong Toey area. The Transport Ministry has given the green light for Bangkok Port to house an integrated entertainment complex. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)

The Transport Ministry has given the green light for Bangkok Port to house an integrated entertainment complex.

Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit on Friday referred to an instruction delivered by his deputy, Manaporn Charoensri, to form a committee on the feasibility of developing an entertainment complex in areas such as ports.

He said multiple locations are being considered.

Regarding Bangkok Port in the Klong Toey area, Mr Suriya said the location has great potential, given it is a sizeable plot of land with scenic river views and the capability to be transformed into a yacht marina.

Mr Suriya, who is a deputy prime minister, said Bangkok itself is a suitable location for such a development.

As for Laem Chabang or Pattaya being eyed should an entertainment complex -- which would also house a casino -- go to the eastern region, he said the decision lies with a national committee, and the Transport Ministry has no authority to fix a location.

Sangsit Piriyarangsan, an academic who specialises in social problems that are allegedly caused by gambling, has expressed concern over whether the government can handle more problems from lawful gambling as it cannot even resolve the existing issues of illegal gambling dens and websites.

Sangsit, who is a former senator and author of The Gambling Demon of Bangkok, said legalising gambling would lead to more severe problems and increase the burden on the government.

He has studied underground gambling businesses for decades since he was the director of the Political Economy Study Centre at Chulalongkorn University.

He said the gambling "demons" that have been haunting cities, territories and countries like Las Vegas, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Singapore are now creeping their way into Thailand.

He pointed out that the Department of Provincial Administration and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, responsible for drafting the legislation, have not conducted a thorough study on the social impact of online gambling.

The study they have done lacked the involvement of the public, which could lead to errors in policies due to a lack of understanding, he said.

"The amendment of related laws to legalise gambling might be easy in terms of government processes. But the difficulty is how to access knowledge, understand the downside of the matter, and come up with preventive measures," said Mr Sangsit.

Mr Sangsit said that should gambling be legalised, such activities online would be hard to control.

He also pointed out that casinos typically target adult patrons, whereas online gambling seems easily accessible to younger people.

Controlling age restrictions online is far more challenging, increasing the risk of addiction among children and adolescents, he noted.

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