Problem gaming – dealing with the inevitable
11 September, 2025
Winna Media Entertainment Complex News
23 September 2025
Thai senators to debate Entertainment Complex bill report
Senior legislators look likely to support the report’s opposition to the bill proposed by former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra
Thai senators are set to debate a report by a committee on legislation to introduce casino entertainment complexes (ECs), which was championed by former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra before she was forced to step down in July.
The report opposes the framework for rolling out casinos within larger ECs on social, economic and constitutional grounds. It also highlighted concerns about the governance of the ECs as proposed in the legislation.
Although the report did not explicitly reject the bill, it urged the Thai government to revise it to reflect the committee’s concerns.
The senators who compiled the report said the economic benefit to Thailand would be minimal, and would also leave the country to shoulder the infrastructure costs and other burdens, including funding programmes for problem gamblers.
The committee also warned of the breakdown of family structures, increased demands on the health system and the threat of rising crime and money laundering. These would impact the constitutional responsibility of the government to uphold the rule of law and prevent legislation that is deemed to be inconsistent with Thailand’s legal principles.
The committee also criticised the proposed EC Policy Board that would have been chaired by the prime minister, saying the centralisation of oversight of the ECs would bypass political accountability and other official checks and balances.
The report recommended alternatives to casinos that they believed could encourage tourism, such as wellness centres. It added that, should the government proceed with casino development, it would have to first hold impact assessments and a national referendum.
In addition, if the casinos were built but failed to meet projected targets, the government should be obliged to take responsibility for any shortfalls and provide compensation.
Unless the government takes steps to redraft the legislation to meet the reports’ concerns, it should be rejected in full, the authors advised.
Casino legislation - can it recover?
Opinion is mixed about whether the report means the EC legislation is dead, or whether it can be revised and resuscitated, perhaps after possible parliamentary elections in 2026. Some say that Thailand’s creaking tourism sector is helping to make the case for casinos to boost visitor numbers and spending.
However, another widely held view is that gaming is seen as an initiative proposed by the Shinawatra family, including Paetongtarn and her father and former prime minister Thaksin, primarily for their own benefit.
Foreign observers and industry figures have also said that this could be the right time to thoroughly revise the regulatory framework for the casinos to make them transparent and bring them under the control of an independent regulator to meet local concerns.
Build them and they will come
In the meantime, pragmatic Thai companies are moving ahead to create “Entertainment Complexes” regardless of gaming components.
IMPACT Arena announced recently that it is demolishing the old “Thunder Dome” to open a 50,000-person state-of-the-art concert hall for upwards of 50,000 people, partnering with globally renowned entertainment provider Live Nation.
Paul Kanjanapas, CEO of IMPACT Exhibition Management, told the press that IMPACT is moving ahead to solidify its position as a leading MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) destination in Asia and a globally recognised venue for business and entertainment events.
Mr Kanjanapas said, “Many trade show organisers require a minimum of 2,000 rooms near the venue, but currently, Novotel has 370 rooms and Ibis has just over 500. So we must expand our hotel capacity to attract large-scale events.”
He added, “Originally, IMPACT planned to lease the lakefront land to investors under the government’s casino-based Entertainment Complex initiative. But with no clear policy from the government yet, IMPACT is moving forward with its hotel plans to serve the MICE market now. If the casino policy becomes clearer in the future, the company is open to leasing space to investors – but it has no plans to operate a casino itself.”
The new deal with IMPACT and Live Nation for a “Global Entertainment Hub” will be called ‘IMPACT Live Nation Co. Ltd.’ It is understood that they also have a major deal with a globally branded hotel conglomerate for over 1,000 room facilities.
