Legal casinos will put a stop to illegal gambling: PM
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Thursday voiced his support for legal casinos as a way to earn revenue from the country’s underground economy.
He said his government supported the idea of issuing a new law to allow the establishment of so-called entertainment complexes in Thailand that include legal casinos.
“We have to bring the grey [underground] economy into the light to allow us to control it, both for security and suitability. And we can collect taxes properly. I agree with this and believe it’s an important issue,” the prime minister said.
Srettha added that he expected legal casinos to help ease the country’s chronic problem of illegal gambling dens while adding revenue to the national coffers. “If they can go to legal casinos, why will people continue breaking the law? Gamblers can try their luck at casinos that are legal” he said.
As for the opposition to legalising casinos in Thailand, Srettha said the matter should be settled in Parliament by lawmakers who are representatives of people across the country.
The prime minister said it was time to stop hypocrisy by introducing proper regulations on gambling. He said Thai society must accept the fact that gambling has long existed in this country but that as it is illegal now, it must be properly regulated.
PM Srettha, who also doubles as the finance minister, said that he was unsure when the proposed law to legalise casinos would come into force, or when legal casinos would launch. “It will take considerable time. For now, we will continue to deal with illegal gambling dens,” he added.
Last week, Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said that setting up legal casinos in Thailand would not only create new jobs but also generate more revenue.
Phiphat expected up to 50,000 new jobs to be created at entertainment complexes to be built in the country. He believed each entertainment complex would create at least 10,000 new jobs, and if one was built in each of the country’s five major regions, up to 50,000 people could be hired.
By allowing those entertainment complexes to include casinos, Thailand would also be able to tackle its chronic problem of illegal gambling, the minister said.
