The Thailand Senate’s special committee has resolved to establish two new subcommittees to increase scrutiny of the country’s entertainment and casino bill.

The committee is currently undertaking a 180-day study of the Thai Government’s plans to implement an Entertainment Complex Bill, establishing regulated land-based casinos in the country. 

As reported by the Bangkok Post, the first subcommittee has been tasked with examining possible adverse effects of the entertainment complex and casino project on society, legal proceedings, the environment, urban planning, the constitution, national development strategies, and the process of conducting a public referendum.

The second subcommittee will study the potential economic impacts of the project. The scope of the second subcommittee could also extend to online gambling – a vertical which currently remains illegal in Thailand. 

The subcommittees are expected to report their findings before the end of July, a date that will coincide with the expected date for the bill to be presented to the Thai parliament at the beginning of July. 

The casino bill has been met with sustained opposition from within Thailand’s political parties and protests from citizens. This includes reports that members of the Bhumjaithai Party – part of the ruling coalition alongside the Pheu Thai Party – are opposed to the legislation.

Backlash over the bill led to the aforementioned Senate special committee being established last month to study the impact of the bill.

Following deliberation, the tourist hotspots of Bangkok, Chonburi, Chiang Mai and Phuket were all chosen as regions to host the new venues, which will hold a maximum of 10% of floor space for gambling activities.

Despite opposition, Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has repeatedly assured stakeholders and media that there are no plans to withdraw the bill. The Prime Minister, as well as several former national leaders, including her father Thaksin Shinawatra, have been invited by Veerapun Suvannamai, Chairman of the special committee, to its next meeting on 15 May to discuss the project and provide policy direction.