The Thai Cabinet has approved a bill to legalize casinos and gambling to stimulate tourism, investment and create new jobs. Reuters writes about this with reference to a statement by the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Phethong Than Shinawatra.
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The bill, which will be sent to parliament for consideration, will allow gambling at large entertainment complexes. Casinos are currently illegal in Thailand, but football betting, underground gambling and lotteries are widespread, the agency noted.
The Thai government claims that due to the lack of legal casinos, the country is losing revenue and not realizing its tourism potential. According to Reuters, gambling is officially allowed in neighboring countries: Cambodia, Singapore, the Philippines, Laos and Myanmar.
The Kingdom’s Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornwiwat predicted that as a result of the legalization of casinos, the number of foreign tourists could increase by 5-10% and tourism revenue would increase by 120-220 billion baht ( between 3.45 and 6.32 billion dollars). ). Between 9,000 and 15,000 additional jobs will also be created.
In early January, the head of Thailand’s Ministry of Finance, Pichai Chunhavajira, said that in 2025 the government will allow tourists in Phuket to pay for goods and services with bitcoins. The minister explained the need for the initiative due to the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies among foreign tourists.
Author:
Bogdan Muzychenko
Source: RB
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
