A revised version of the Entertainment Complex Bill is expected to be presented to the cabinet for approval next week, the PM's Office Minister Chousak Sirinil said.
The bill will be presented following consultations with the Interior Ministry and the Finance Ministry about its content, he said, adding the government has treated the bill as an urgent policy and wants to push for its passage as quickly as possible.
A policy requiring Thais to have at least 50 million baht in their bank accounts for at least six months before they are allowed to enter a casino-entertainment complex is back in the bill.
Previously, Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat said that the requirement had been removed and replaced by one that requires Thais to have submitted three years of tax returns before they can be admitted.
However, the Finance Ministry seemed to have second thoughts, and Mr Julapun later confirmed that the 50-million-baht requirement will be included in the bill as recommended by the Council of State.
When the bill is tabled in parliament, MPs have the authority to make adjustments as they see fit, he said.
Mr Julapun previously disagreed with the clause requiring a hefty bank balance, saying that it fails to address the problem of Thais travelling to neighbouring countries to gamble. He said that only 10,000 people in Thailand have 50 million baht in their accounts, proposing instead that Thais wishing to enter a casino must have paid income tax to the Revenue Department for three consecutive years, along with an entry fee of 5,000 baht per person.
Kiatanantha Lounkaew, a lecturer at Thammasat University's faculty of economics, voiced support for the 50-million-baht bank balance requirement, saying it will limit the number of visitors to such venues and help prevent adverse social impacts.
However, the proposed requirement may not benefit local businesses and small- and medium-seized enterprises (SMEs) around the casino-entertainment complexes, he said.
