Too fast on casinos

Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat recently announced the government's controversial casino-entertainment complex bill will top the legislative agenda when parliament reconvenes in July.

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This declaration, made despite the bill's fraught history and intense public opposition, raises urgent questions about the government's priorities and motivation behind its unusual fast-tracking.

The proposed legislation, which would legalise the opening of a casino in permitted entertainment complexes, was shelved in the previous parliamentary session after encountering widespread criticism. Prominent medical professionals, academics, and civil society groups raised concerns about the bill's social, economic, and ethical ramifications.

Yet little has changed since then. Thailand's economy remains fragile. The impacts of newly imposed US trade tariffs loom large. Structural challenges persist from household debt, to the cost of living and uneven recovery in tourism. And yet, the government now appears more determined than ever to fast-track this bill. Why?