Thailand To Legalize Gambling

[Plus]

.. the money that gamblers would spend in legal casinos "would have been spent elsewhere - including on education and healthcare". Huh? The gamblers will

have spent their money on education and healthcare, if they don't have a casino??? What am I missing in your words?

The fact that they have no places to gamble away their money now. Granted big boys can fly to Macao or drive to Poipet, but it's still not as convenient as popping down to Pattaya (two hour drive) or let alone Bangkok.

New players can, and will, waste equivalents of one year education fees in one night, it's not like they have a family budget of a million a month for gambling only, they will use money reserved for something else. Addiction destroys lives.

>>>>

Shogu, in Thailand we had yaba epidemic only a few years ago. It was illegal but so widely available that there was no practical difference. There's undeniable correlation between availability and addiction rates, same will hold true for gamblers.

Comparisons with Holland or Switzerland are irrelevant, drug or alcohol abuse are symptoms of much larger social problems here and their effects on society are far more destructive.

[VegasVic]

Thats not entirely true onethiland, while the MGM theme park is no longer and wet and wild is gone, Vegas is still much more a family destination than it was many years ago. 30 years ago Vegas was a true adult playground (with the lone exception of Circus Circus), now nearly every single strip property has a shopping area and arcade games for the kids and many have daycare and Movie theaters!

I'll see if I can find a reference to back up what I said - Vegas was indeed an adult playground, and a sleazy one at that - before the MGM and others started repositioning as "family entertainment" and completely rebuilt the Strip. However, they are now de-emphasizing "family entertainment" though obviously some locations still exist. I wouldn't go so far as to consider those tiny arcades "family amusement" - and the shopping areas are still more or less for adults.

So you're also right by pointing out there is more family entertainment than there was many years ago - but it is turning in the other direction again.

Here's what I found with a quick search - it's only a snippet but should be sufficient to show that the tide has turned - "Although the city is no longer concentrating on billing itself as a family destination, there are plenty of things to do for the younger and family-oriented crowd and a lot of them are free."

http://www.reviewjournal.com/bestoflv/2007/entertainment.jsp

Everything else in your post is spot on, and you are corect that Vegas has been the fastest growing U.S. city since 1988, however currently the real estate market has slowed due to the subprime crisis(considering the strength of the vegas economy though, vegas will rebound before most of the other hardhit areas). I think that if Thailand approaches this the right way and has professional management overseeing the casinos and a strong set of rules and regulations and serious regulatory enforcement agency, then this could be a great boon for Thailand and a much needed shot in the arm for areas like Phuket, Koh Samui, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and BKK. Thats precisely where I would locate the casinos, and they should cater to tourists and if they are done right then it will be a win win for the Thai economy. The casinos will create good paying jobs for local thais and with the increase in tax revenue Thailand can improve more of their infrastructure! Good Luck to the new government, and heres to hoping that they get it correct if they decide to legalize gaming!

Growth is definitely slowing in Vegas - but probably still one of a very few areas which continue to grow.

Careful regulation, planning of infrastructure, and monitoring will be necessary to make a casino project work anywhere, perhaps more so in Thailand than other countries.

patsfangr - I wish I had your self-control

Onethailand, I am not quite sure I would agree with your statement that "Growth is definately slowing in Las Vegas". I know that the Trump International Tower in Vegas is supposed to open next month, and at around $600 million that will be one of the smallest projects currently undertaken on the strip. Off the top of my head I can think of the gargantuan City Center project being built by MGM that is currently pegged to cost $8.4 billion, but since they keep on expanding this project I wouldn't be surprised if it winds up being a $10 billion project. Then there is the $2 billion Encore Tower all suite addition to the Wynn rersort, Caesars Palace's new tower being built ($1 billion), the Echelon Place project where the old Stardust use to be will be a 5,300 room hotel with a massive gaming and shopping area, the Hard Rock Casino has two new towers going up currently, the Alexis Park resort is adding a 1000 room tower and building a new casino, then there is the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino next to where wet and wild use to be, and the $5 billion Crown Las Vegas Hotel ans Casino Project which will break ground this year. Of course these are just the strip (or slightly off strip) properties that come to mind, lets not forget all of the local casinos that are going up currently by the familiar names like Station,Coast and Cannery. There are also a host of office buildings, time share resorts and commercial projects that are currently being constructed in Vegas. With residential developements like Lake Las Vegas, Summerlin and the like popping up around the valley I think that Las Vegas will be growing at a rapid pace for quite some time to come (remember the first of the baby boomers will just start hitting retirement age this year, and Nevada remains one of the few tax free states left ). I spent almost twenty years in the Las Vegas Valley and had an incredible time there, but nowadays the peace and serenity of Sedona suits my lifestyle much better. I do think that the southern Nevada and Arizona real estate market will rebound much faster than the California market will, as for Florida, well thats a whole different animal The Florida market was escalated to a large degree by foriegners (primarily Europeans and folks from Latin american countries) and while values may have doubled in Vegas over a 2-3 year span, in the Miami area Condo market valuations nearly trippled. I think that Florida could be in for a very prolonged real estate recession, especially if the dollar rebounds and starts strengthening later this year and after the election, because a stronger dollar would keep many international buyers away and there is no way that Florida on its own could sustain anything close to the valuations(even though they have backed off) that they are currently at!

[onethailand]

Onethailand, I am not quite sure I would agree with your statement that "Growth is definately slowing in Las Vegas".

Growth continues. At a high rate, even. Probably still the fastest in the US - but the rate of growth has almost certainly slowed.

[tuky]

Gambling redistributes wealth from the poor to the rich.

Legalised Gambling in any country causes so much harm and yet governments love it because it generates huge income for them and their cronies. refer the Australian experience

Actually, thats the Eastern Australian experience. In the West there is only Burswood Casino and I think the majority of gambling going on in there would be tourists.

Going the pokie route like the East. Australia went would be a terrible mistake.

[sriracha john]

UPDATE... time to trot out this old idea once again... with a different name...

Samak proposes casino for Thailand - under another label

It's time for Thailand to have an entertainment complex housing a casino, sports arena and convention hall, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said yesterday.

To avoid criticism or a negative response from the public on hearing that money would be spent on building a casino, Samak called it an entertainment complex rather than a casino.

He put forward the idea while meeting with officials and representatives from the tourism industry in Chiang Mai last Saturday and talked about the project on his Sunday television programme.

"In other countries in the region, such as Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore, they've already added a casino as a tourist attraction. For Thailand, we still have nothing similar," Samak told the meeting.

Samak's representative said the project was expected to be built near Suvarnabhumi Airport. "The complex will feature a casino, sports activities, a shopping mall, hotels, a conference hall and recreational activities," the representative said.

She said Samak wanted to build the complex near the new airport on expectations it would attract more business to eastern Bangkok. Muang Thong Thani, which features huge exhibition halls and residences, is a good example of successful growth due to close proximity to an airport: Don Mueang.

"Being on the other side of Bangkok and near Suvarnabhumi Airport, the complex should act as a magnet for new businesses," she said.

However, a project budget, other details and a timeline have not yet been discussed.

Samak has been pushing the casino project since becoming prime minister.

At the Chiang Mai meeting, Samak also discussed with operators and agencies how to boost tourism in the North. With the soaring cost of jet fuel, Samak has ordered national carrier Thai Airways International to study the reintroduction of ATR aircraft, in order to provide low-cost services on short domestic routes like Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son.

Moreover, the Chiang Mai Convention Centre, first planned years ago, was reconsidered at the meeting. The government has made a commitment for it to be completed within two years. However, the cost of construction has jumped from the original 1.8 Billion Baht to 2.3 Billion Baht.

- The Nation (today)

Edited June 17, 2008 by sriracha john

[parryhandy]

^ Hmm who owns most of the land around the airport ?

[sriracha john]

^ Hmm who owns most of the land around the airport ?

I would imagine mostly by those who stood to make a killing speculating on the other grand ol' Thaksin scheme to make it the 77th province...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...c=60484&hl=

Suvarnabhumi Province To Be Established Within This Year

and

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...c=79368&hl=

Suvarnabhumi City To Be Thailand's 77th Province

Edited June 17, 2008 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

actually I'm surprised they don't also push for Chiang Mai to have a casino as well... but suppose that'll come later.

[Ricardo]

Those large empty buildings, at Don Meung, would be excellent for this purpose, now how do we get the brown-envelopes flowing, when most of the construction has already been done ?

[Tony Clifton]

He just won't quit, until...

[sriracha john]

Those large empty buildings, at Don Meung, would be excellent for this purpose, now how do we get the brown-envelopes flowing, when most of the construction has already been done ?

Restoration costs can often exceed new building costs with the proper number fudging...

[Odysseus221]

With Macao and Singapore going the way they are going, tourism is down here. It is only a matter of time before gambling comes to Pattaya. The tourists are all going to Singapore.

[moetownblues]

Wonderful.

Because we all know what a great job gambling does in making the poor more successful ;_)

And some people even dare to suggest that PPP actually cares about the poor 555555555555555

Ah well, a few more parties, some cheap loans and lots more betting; they will be too distracted/drunk/in debt to worry about life. Kit mahk gor mai dee len huay dee gua woi!

Gambling is already a common and favored pasttime of Thais they are just merely making it legal and taxing it. Big deal.

Yes but one thing you have forgotten, what about the poor BIB? Now they have to find an alternative source of income.

[Lancelot]

Gambling is already a common and favored pasttime of Thais they are just merely making it legal and taxing it. Big deal.

I agree. Make it legal, (try) to regulate it and tax it.

In any case, gambling is never going away; people love the thrill of chance and will partake

[EyesWideOpen]

King Rama 5 visited Europe , and saw the effects of gambling there. Upon his return he said that Thai people should never have casino gambling. And so they won't. Given the level of corruption here that all Thais are aware of, it is amazing that they are even thinking of having gambling here !!!