Thais To Try
New prime minister wants to legalize casinos in his country
If Thailand’s new prime minister gets his way, five casinos will be built in well-known tourist destinations around the country. That announcement came last month from Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who took office in February.
“At the beginning, they should start with tourist areas like Pattaya, Phuket, Khon Kaen, Chiang Mai and Hat Yai,” Samak told reporters.
The impetus behind the new proposal is the explosion of gaming possibilities in the region in recent years. Besides the high-end destinations of Malaysia and Macau, casinos can be found all along the border with neighboring countries Cambodia and Myanmar. Those who support the plan want the money that is currently flowing out of the country to instead go to local government budgets and companies.
Supporters also point to the underground gambling world that exists and which is reportedly tolerated. Samak believes a regulated industry is the best solution to the problem.
“Thais who want to gamble can gamble, and police can do other jobs instead of cracking down on illegal gambling dens,” he said.
In fact, the casinos would primarily be open to tourists, who could have access at no charge. Thais who wish to play would have to pay an annual membership fee of between 50,000 and 100,000 baht-between $1,600 and $3,200. Any entrance fee would go to charity, Samak said.
As always, there are opponents concerned about the potential dark side of gambling.
Major-General Chamlong Srimuang, a leader in the People’s Alliance for Democracy, is one such opponent. In an interview on an anti-Thaksin government satellite television channel, Chamlong said any good from casinos would be outweighed by the bad, and called on all religious people to oppose the legalization of casinos.
Chamlong also questioned the timing of the announcement, asking, “Why didn’t they tell us during their election campaign that there would be gambling dens?”
Samak seems to understand the concerns.
“We have to seriously study the idea of how to open legal casinos,” Samak said. “This way, the illegal dens and private casinos will close down.”
Casinos have been considered by Thai governments at various times over the past decades. However, religious and moral opposition always seemed to block the move. Now, Samak is determined to see a casino industry finally established.
“If this government gets to complete its four-year term, people will definitely get to see legalized casinos,” he said.
The last leader to favor legalized casinos, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was overthrown in a military coup in 2006.
