Breaking news! The Thai Cabinet approves the legalization of casinos!

On January 13th, Thai Prime Minister Pe Tong chaired a cabinet meeting at the government building, where the draft "Comprehensive Entertainment Center Act (including casinos)" submitted by the Ministry of Finance was reviewed and approved.

After the cabinet meeting, the Minister of Social Development and Human Security, Wara U, disclosed to the media that the next step after the cabinet's approval of the "Comprehensive Entertainment Center Act" draft would be to submit it to the House of Representatives for review. Meanwhile, the Office of the State Council will conduct an additional review of certain key points based on the concerns raised by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.

Regarding the "Comprehensive Entertainment Center Act" draft, it specifies ten types of entertainment businesses, which are: 1. Shopping centers; 2. Hotels; 3. Restaurants, nightclubs, discotheques, bars; 4. Sports venues; 5. Yacht and cruise clubs; 6. Gaming venues; 7. Swimming pools and water parks; 8. Amusement parks; 9. Thai culture and OTOP product promotion areas; 10. Other businesses as specified by the policy committee.

Additionally, the draft outlines various fees. For instance, the initial license fee is 5 billion Thai Baht per license, with an annual fee of 1 billion Thai Baht; the license renewal fee is also 5 billion Thai Baht per license, with an annual fee of 1 billion Thai Baht; and the fee for Thai citizens to enter a casino is 5,000 Thai Baht per visit.