Were Thailand to agree on construction of five casino resorts, each in a separate region, the move could create at least 50,000 jobs, suggested the country’s Labour Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, as cited by the Bangkok Post newspaper on Thursday.
“Legalising activities such as gambling in casinos will create more benefits for the economy,” Mr Phiphat was cited as having said.
The lower house at Thailand’s National Assembly is to consider on March 28 a bill to legalise casino business, according to a Tuesday report in The Nation newspaper, citing comment by Julapun Amornvivat, deputy finance minister.
For his part, the Labour Minister mentioned there would need to be employment and income checks on domestic customers of any Thai casinos, to make sure they could afford to gamble in them.
The Nation cited on Thursday a Thai academic saying the country could bring in at least THB50 billion (US$1.37 billion) annually, were casinos legalised.
Dr Thanawat Phonwichai, president of the University of Thai Chamber of Commerce, said such a sum could generate tax income and assist in national development.
Though he added there would need to be safeguards against the risk of fraud and corrupt activities were the country to have a casino industry. There would also need to be protections for those as risk from problem gambling.
