Cabinet approves draft bill on an integrated entertainment complex

The cabinet approved, in principle, a draft bill today for an ‘integrated entertainment complex’ to be established in Thailand, as proposed by the Finance Ministry, said Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

The bill is intended to promote investment, curb rampant illegal gambling in the country and promote sustainable tourism to a man-made destination that will benefit society in the future, she claimed.

The Council of State, the government’s legal advisor, will now consider the details pertaining to the proposed project, such as a regulatory commission and clear guidelines about the types of businesses which would be able to operate within the complex, she added.

Last week, the Council of State made six observations about the draft bill and expressed some disagreement.

One of the observations is that the Finance Ministry should clearly define the scope of the entertainment complex and whether it will only include hotels, restaurants or other businesses, because there are existing laws to deal with hotels and restaurants. Having an entertainment complex law covering such operations would be a duplication.

The council noted that the Thai public’s perception of an entertainment complex is that it is an establishment providing various kinds of entertainment and is not meant for gambling.

If the government wants to set up a casino, the council said it can do so by replacing the existing gambling law, which is obsolete and irrelevant in the present circumstances anyway.

The cabinet also approved a draft European Union Free Trade Agreement (EFTA), which is scheduled to be signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, next week.