Thai Academics Call for Referendum on Entertainment Complexes

Thailand is all but guaranteed to introduce casino resorts, not just in jurisprudence, but in reality, with four locations for such properties already announced publicly by the government.

However, this has not lessened opposition against the draft law, which is still undergoing finalization, and several academics have voiced support for a referendum during a roundtable held on Wednesday and hosted by Krungthep Turakij.

Thai Academics Not Sure Casinos Are a Good Idea

A senior researcher from the Thailand Development Research Institute, Nonarit Bisonyabut, has similarly backed the idea put forward by the academics, as he believes the communities and people in Thailand should have a say in whether they want to host such projects in the first place. The referendum can also be used as an awareness platform to help people understand both the pros and cons of such a project.

Nonarit argues that there is a ream of potentially adverse effects that could impact society negatively and potentially outweigh the economic benefits of these projects. Among them, says Nonarit, it fears that specific businesses may obtain all licenses available in a particular service, and thus establish monopolies.

If a referendum is not possible, argues Nonarit, local communities who are likely to bear the brunt of these developments ought to be interviewed, and their opinions presented to lawmakers. Thailand has maintained that it has been inspired to develop its casino resorts following the success of similar developments in Singapore.

However, the director of Chulalongkorn University’s Centre for Gambling Studies, Nualnoi Treerat, has cautioned that in its current state, the draft law seeking to introduce casino resorts in Thailand has still not reached a good standard of care for society has the same mitigating safeguards as its Singapore counterpart has.

Notably, there are no provisions to help protect vulnerable consumers, and those experiencing gambling-related harm argues Nualnoi. Singapore for example has screened its population and automatically excluded 300,000 from accessing its casinos.

Rule of Law Paramount for Running a Safe Gambling Industry

The biggest argument in favor of casino resorts has not so much to do with potential societal costs, but economic costs rather. For example, Chittawan Chanakul, who teaches economics at the Thammasat University’s Faculty of Economics, argues that Thailand’s situation is not comparable of that of Singapore.

Thailand is struggling with maintaining the rule of law and is deemed a fairly corrupt country. Because of this, gambling and casino resorts may not be the best idea to endorse, as they could lead to corruption and money laundering.

Basically, says Chittawan, the gambling industry needs to be monitored very closely and meticulously, something that may not be the case if there is doubt that watchdogs may be playing favors. Overall, the opposition against entertainment complexes is well-documented and established in hard facts, but lawmakers seem to be doubly keen to press on regardless.