A DEMOCRAT Party executive committee member today (Aug. 18) urged the new government to hold a referendum on the opening of entertainment complexes housing legalised casinos as pushed by the outgoing Srettha Thavisin government to stimulate the economy with there being many controversial issues surrounding it, particularly morality, Naewna newspaper said.
Mr. Mekhin Iamsa-ard, a member of this party’s executive committee, said all religions teach that gambling is a vice as gamblers become so addicted to it that they stop working.
Casinos are also the centre of criminal activities with this being the precursor of organised crime.
As this affects the people on a widescale the new government under Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra should hold a referendum on whether they should be established.
Although a referendum would cost 3 to 4 billion baht it could prevent losses of trillions of baht from setting up these entertainment complexes with legal casinos in them, he said, adding other members of his party back this position.
Mekin added that the viewpoint that other countries that have casinos are benefiting from entry fees gamblers pay is delusionary because a lot of deductions have to be made and not much is left for the state.
If the go-ahead is given, and construction commences, it will take ten years to recover the investment.
“I would like the government to reconsider setting up casinos and hold a referendum to ask the people across the country. But if it is going to be pushy, claiming this will spur the economy, I would like the government to find ways to do so that would lead to people nationwide becoming comfortable rather than stimulating it for only a specific group but causing trouble for the whole country,” he said.
Sources said the Finance Ministry recently completed the draft of the Entertainment Complex Act. This will undergo a public hearing in keeping with Section 77 of the constitution after which the bill, together with the public feedback, will be tabled to the Cabinet for consideration.
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