The bill’s champion is Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who wants to legalize casinos in new entertainment complexes.

The PM says that legal casinos would be built using foreign capital and would help boost tax revenue.

But her plans have been beset by public and political opposition. Critics claim that the bill would facilitate money laundering and organized crime.

Casino Referendum Talk Grows

The Bangkok Post quoted the Senate Special Committee Chair Veerapun Suvannamai as suggesting that a referendum on the bill is inevitable.

The committee believes that the bill contradicts elements of the Thai constitution. This means it would require a mandate from the public rather than lawmakers’ approval.

Last week, Anutin Charnvirakul, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, also called for a referendum on the bill.

The party is part of the ruling government coalition, but many of its senior members remain bitterly opposed to casino legalization.

The Senate committee discussed the bill’s practical challenges. Senator Chirmsak Pinthong suggested the draft law was a back-door bid to legalize large-scale casinos.

Chirmsak blasted the policy unit behind the bill, which is chaired by the Prime Minister, dubbing it the “casino cabinet.”

The same senator claimed that the bill would allow for Bangkok to grant concessions without a bidding process, public hearing, or environmental impact assessment.

Chirmsak also warned that the government’s plans to grant 30-year casino concessions could create problems for future generations.

Other senators also expressed their doubts, including Kaewsan Atibhoti, who opined that the bill could benefit foreign investors more than Thais.

PM to Face Senate in June

Senators had previously invited the Prime Minister to attend the committee meeting. But neither Paetongtarn nor her delegate, Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat, showed up at the meeting, with both away on official business in Vietnam.

Veerapun said that the committee wants Paetongtarn to visit the chamber on June 5 instead.

In a separate report, the same media outlet claimed that cracks were beginning to deepen in the coalition.

It wrote that speculation is now rife that Bhumjaithai may be “thrown out of the coalition” as Paetongtarn’s Pheu Thai Party continues to clash with its coalition partner on the casino bill and other matters.

Bhumjaithai has 70 seats in parliament. If it were to exit the coalition as feared, the government may need to turn to opposition parties for support.

But soHowever,of these parties are also vehemently opposed to the bill. These include the Palang Pracharath Party, which has 20 seats. Party leader Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn said of the draft law: “Our stance has never been clearer. We don’t agree with the casino bill.”

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The divisive draft law continues to dominate headlines in the Southeast Asian nation. The Bangkok Post quoted Senator Veerapun Suvannamai, Chairman of the Senate Special Committee, saying that lawmakers have asked Paetongtarn and “former prime ministers” to attend a meeting on May 15.

Veerapun said that senators have requested the presence of Thaksin Shinawatra. The latter is Paetongtarn’s father, and served as Thai Prime Minister from 2001 to 2006.

Thai Senators Hopeful Paetongtarn Will Defend Bill in Person

Paetongtarn has claimed that her political opponents have been trying to weaponize the draft law. The bill seeks to legalize casinos within special entertainment complexes.Observers say the bill could destabilize the ruling government coalition at a dangerous time for Paetongtarn. The PM survived a vote of no confidence earlier this year. Critics accused her of taking secret orders from her still-influential father.

The Senate’s special committee chief noted that while Paetongtarn is entitled to appoint a representative (likely a senior government minister) to attend in her place, senators want her to appear in person.

The committee has already established a framework to assess the project’s potential drawbacks and benefits.

It has also formed subcommittees to investigate possible economic and social effects. Sources told the same media outlet that the subcommittees will present their findings in early November.

This timeframe could irk the bill’s proponents. The government had tabled a first reading in the lower house, the House of Representatives, on April 9.

However, following public and political opposition, Paetongtarn agreed to delay the first reading. The government says the chamber will now read the bill during the next parliamentary session. Lawmakers will reconvene on July 2 after a short summer break.

PM: Legal Casinos Will Help Boost Tax Revenues

Paetongtarn defended her bill on television this month, claiming it would boost annual tax revenue and help the Thai tourism industry avoid the notion of off-seasons.

Paetongtarn also claimed that strict rules, background checks, and security protocols would ensure safety at the new casinos.

She insisted that the complexes would all be backed by foreign capital, not taxpayers’ money.  Critics say that green-lighting casinos will lead to a rise in youth gambling addictions and money laundering.

Anti-casino demonstrators protested outside the parliament building in Bangkok in early April, demanding that the government abandon the bill.

Any further delay could impact the ambitious new plans to redevelop Bangkok’s port area.

Bangkok Port Development Plans

In a separate report, the newspaper wrote that Deputy Transport Minister Manaporn Charoensri has announced that an entertainment complex has been included in a planned commercial redevelopment of some 20% of the Bangkok Port compound in the Klong Toey District.

Manaporn was quoted as saying that a casino had not been included in the proposal “at this stage.” He added that the addition of a casino to the proposal is “dependent on casinos being legalised. “

The government wants to convert 832,000 square meters of real estate into an entertainment complex. It also wants to build a cruise terminal and retail spaces at the port. The proposed complex would also hold offices, residential buildings, shopping malls, and hotels.

Manaporn says that the ministry has commissioned a study of the plan. Bangkok has handed surveyors a 20 million baht (over $607,000) budget.

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The PM claimed that her political opponents were trying to weaponize the bill. She said they were playing games to stoke confusion and drive public opposition to her government.

The bill proposes allowing casinos to operate within special entertainment complexes in the country. These complexes would also house luxury hotels and concert halls.

Thai Prime Minister: Casinos Will Provide Treasury Boost

Paetongtarn claims that the move will help boost year-round foreign tourism income. However, critics say that casinos will act as a magnet for money laundering schemes and criminal gangs.

The bill threatens to divide Paetongtarn’s ruling coalition government, with some politicians bitterly opposed to the draft law.

Demonstrators held rallies in front of the Bangkok parliament building in April, urging Paetongtarn to abandon the bill.

But the Bangkok Post reported that Paetongtarn appeared on TV to defend the draft law. She claimed it could help bring in a significant influx of foreign investment. The PM said: “The investment isn’t coming from the state or people’s tax money. It’s private, and it is foreign capital.”

Regulated, responsible gambling could also help Thailand raise more revenue through taxation, she added. Paetongtarn said: “There will be strict rules, background checks, and security standards to ensure this is not a place where anyone can walk in dreaming of winning millions and just leave with it. That’s not how it works.”

The PM also claimed that her plan would help create jobs for citizens and help the Thai tourism industry eliminate the concept of low seasons.

She warned that some people with political agendas were distorting the narrative surrounding the plan. Critics are intentionally misleading the public, she added.

The Thai leader said her opponents were trying to “make it seem as though Thailand is about to become a haven of vice, which is just not true.”

Casino Money Laundering Dangers Are Real, Says Critic

Paetongtarn concluded that failure to back her plan would eventually cause people to look at similar projects in other countries, “and wonder why Thailand doesn’t have that.”

However, Thanakorn Komkrit, the Secretary-General of the Stop Gambling Foundation, attacked the proposal on social media.

Thanakorn urged his followers to refer to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s latest report on casinos and cross-border crime in Southeast Asia.

The UN agency has claimed that many in the money laundering gangs in the region are taking advantage of loopholes and blind spots in casino regulations.

Thanakorn noted that the UN agency has found evidence of money at Southeast Asian casinos involving collusion between players.

The agency added that some illicit junket tours facilitate VIP gambling across borders, and others layer financial transactions to hide their origins. Thanakorn mused, “Are we ready to deal with this kind of 24/7 laundering convenience?”

Paetongtarn survived a vote of no confidence in parliament in March this year. Opponents claimed that she is unqualified for the post.

They also alleged that she was taking orders from her father, Thaksin Shinawatra. The latter served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006 and remains an influential figure in the political and business spheres.

Paetongtarn’s aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra, also served as Thai Prime Minister from 2011 to 2014.

In April, the Royal Thai Police announced plans to launch a dedicated task force to fight tech-related crimes and human trafficking in border areas.

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