Council eyes casino sizes in new bill
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Council eyes casino sizes in new bill

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(Bangkok Post file photo)
(Bangkok Post file photo)

The Council of State (CoS) has yet to finalise what proportion of an entertainment complex can be used to build a casino in a newly proposed bill.

CoS secretary-general Pakorn Nilprapunt said on Tuesday that related agencies had discussed the bill with government agencies on four occasions in recent weeks, but there have not been any conclusions on this question.

On Monday, Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat said his ministry had asked the CoS last week to revise the bill so that each of the suggested entertainment complexes could spare about 10% of their respective projects for casino builds.

"We have not yet reached [an agreement on] that level yet," he said.

When asked whether the CoS thought the amount of space allocated to each casino as a percentage of the whole project should be stipulated in the bill -- to preempt any legal loopholes -- the secretary-general said the issue had been raised by Mr Julapun during a meeting last week and was still being considered.

Mr Pakorn said the Ministry of Interior did not make any new suggestions regarding the drafting of the bill.

Yet Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira said on Tuesday there had been some progress in the revision of the entertainment complex law, which is now being deliberated by the CoS.

He refused to comment on the casino issue.

Social Development and Human Security Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said the ministry reported its feedback to the CoS last week.

He said the casino issue is a double-edged sword. While entertainment complexes can create jobs for the elderly and the disabled and boost incomes for locals, they can also lead to human trafficking, he noted.

The Palang Pracharath Party said it would vote against the bill due to concerns about gambling addiction and household debt.

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