The Cabinet on 13 January 2025 approved in principle the draft bill on an integrated entertainment complex business, following a proposal submitted by the Ministry of Finance.

The objective of the bill is to promote the establishment of a standard integrated entertainment complex, as well as promoting domestic tourism and investment. The project would help boost sustainable tourism and benefit society in the future, as well.

The draft bill seeks to form the policy committee and the executive committee on the integrated entertainment complex business, and to set criteria on permission for the operations of the business.

In the next step, the bill will be forwarded to the Council of State for scrutiny and to the House of Representatives for the first reading. A House committee will be formed to consider the bill in the second reading. If the bill is then approved in the third reading, it will be forwarded to the Senate for consideration.

The Prime Minister raised the observations made by a screening committee, comprising representatives from several agencies, that models of successful operations of this type of  business in various countries worldwide should be studied, as this issue was new for Thailand and explanations would need to be provided to the public.

The Cabinet meeting pointed that casinos typically accounted for only 10 percent of the business, and that the entertainment and tourism center would serve as a man-made destination and attract a great number of tourists through such diverse experiences and activities as exhibitions, meetings, and concerts. The project would also stimulate the economy and generate income for the Government and employment for the people.

Government Spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub said that, at the Cabinet meeting, Secretary-General of the Council of State Pakorn Nilprapunt explained that the Council had raised some points of observation on the draft bill, so that they could be added and adjusted to be in line with the Government’s policy, aimed at creating man-made destinations.