The Council of State, the government’s legal advisory body, has yet to finalise what proportion of an entertainment complex could be used to build a casino, in a newly proposed bill.
Related agencies have discussed the bill with government representatives on four occasions in recent weeks but there has not been any conclusion, according to Pakorn Nilprapunt, the secretary-general of the council.
On Monday, Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat said his ministry had asked the council to revise the bill so that each of the suggested entertainment complexes could spare about 10% of their respective areas for casinos.
“We have not yet reached (an agreement on) that level yet,” Mr Pakorn said.
The Ministry of Interior has not made any new suggestions regarding the drafting of the bill, said Mr Pakorn.
But Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira said on Tuesday that there had been some progress in the revision of the entertainment complex law being scrutinised by the council.
He refused to comment on the casino issue.
The entertainment complex bill is being pushed hard by Thaksin Shinawatra, the de facto leader of the Pheu Thai Party and father of the prime minister. He has spoken of creating a Las Vegas in Thailand as a way to get the economy moving again.
But a recent opinion survey showed that 59% of respondents strongly opposed both entertainment complexes and casinos. Another 70% either disagreed somewhat or disagreed strongly with legalising online gambling, another Thaksin initiative.
Social Development and Human Security Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said his ministry had given its feedback to the Council of State last week.
He said the casino issue is a double-edged sword. While an entertainment complex can create jobs for the elderly and the disabled and boost incomes for local residents, it could also lead to human trafficking, Mr Varawut said.
The opposition Palang Pracharath Party, headed by former deputy premier Prawit Wongsuwon, said it would vote against the bill because of concerns about gambling addiction and household debt.
