Thailand, Mar 28:
Thailand can lift tourism revenue by about $12 billion by legalizing casinos housed within large
entertainment complexes and tackle chronic illegal gambling, according to a study.
Average tourist spending may surge 52% to 65,050 baht ($1,790) per trip once the entertainment hubs
are built, netting an additional earnings of as much as 448.8 billion baht, according to a study by a panel
of lawmakers that’s due to be submitted to parliament on Thursday. The extra income generated can
bolster the country’s gross domestic product growth by 1.16 percentage points, it said.
The report may prompt the House of Representatives to push ahead with a bill to legalize casinos and
other forms of gambling. The panel of lawmakers headed by Deputy Finance Minister Julapun
Amornvivat has recommended a number of safeguards to prevent Thais from getting addicted to betting.
With Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who has been aggressively pushing policies to attract foreign direct
investment, backing the move, it may clear parliamentary hurdles with relative ease. Galaxy
Entertainment Group Ltd. and MGM Resorts International have been studying potential opening of casino
resorts in Thailand as a hedge against uncertain prospects in Macau.
