Thailand civic groups press for casino referendum
Almost 54,000 Thailand residents have signed a petition asking lawmakers to hold a national referendum on the hotly contested Entertainment Complex Act. The legislation would legalise integrated resorts with casinos in the country, licensing up to five complexes in the first phase of development.
Last Thursday, more than 100 representatives of an anti-casino network presented the petition to the Thailand Election Commission.
Petition coordinator Kornkanok Makboon told the Bangkok Post the network began circulating petitions in early January and exceeded the 50,000-signature minimum in May.
The Thailand Cabinet passed the draft legislation in January. Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat recently told the Post the bill will be “top priority” when parliament reconvenes in July.
Proponents of the legislation tout the industry’s expected benefits, including:
- A boost in tourism revenue of $3.5 billion (THB13.8 trillion) to $7 billion per year.
- More than $2.9 billion in new investment for each of five proposed entertainment complexes.
- A 5% to 10% increase in tourist arrivals, with each visitor spending from $1,296 to $1,945.
- 9,000 to 15,300 new jobs.
- Up to $1.1 billion in tax revenue annually.
Referendum ‘a clear mandate’
But anti-casino activists aren’t persuaded. Wasinee Sonsaeb of the Youth Network Against Gambling says legal casinos could make gambling more accessible to younger people.
“Legalising casinos and online gambling today would be handing down a sinful legacy to our children,” she said. “The voices of youth must be taken seriously in this national debate.”
She rejected the argument that Singapore – the ostensible model for Thailand as a casino jurisdiction – did not conduct a referendum before legalising casinos.
“Singapore spent a decade conducting thorough research and public consultation before making its decision,” she said. “To cherry-pick only the aspects of foreign models that serve one’s agenda while ignoring the rest is irresponsible.”
Thanakorn Khomkrit, secretary-general of Thailand’s Stop Gambling Foundation, said that a referendum is a logical next step in the process, giving the government “a clear mandate from the people” no matter the outcome.
If the majority of Thailand residents vote in favour of casino resorts, he added, it would “reduce public resistance and give investors confidence in the legal framework supporting casino developments”.
The Electoral Commission has 30 days to verify the signatures before forwarding the petition to the Office of the Secretariat of the Cabinet for review.