Thailand abandons plans for legal casinos

Thailand has abandoned a plan to allow legal casino gambling, blaming the current political crisis in the country.

The move comes after Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended from office.

The casino bill is a major policy project for the Pheu Thai Party but it conceded it is "not the appropriate time" to proceed with it, said Julapun Amornvivat, the deputy finance minister.

“It’s a shame; the delay is a lost opportunity for the country,” he said.

Our Thai correspondent had long predicted that the casino plan would not go ahead, citing the money made by influential businessmen in the illegal casino industry.

He said it would "dilute the profits made in illegal casinos".

The Prime Minister is in trouble over an ethics violation in an unrelated natter – the military standoff with Cambodia, media hub Travel Mole reported.

The casino bill aimed to offer permits for major integrated casino resorts to boost tourism revenues.

The cabinet withdrew the bill "for now" as the ruling party has lost the support of its coalition partners.

“It needs more studies that require further understanding and social context,” government spokesperson Jirayu Huangsab said.

Image: Calanja McIester, Scop.io

The travel destination that dare not mention the "C" word

Whatever you do don't mention the "C" word.

In Macao's case the C word is casino.

What used to be promoted as one of Asia's leading gambling destinations is now making every effort not to mention its many casinos. At all. 

Take a press release this week from Digital travel platform Agoda and Sands China Ltd.

The two groups have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly promote Macao as a prime destination for both leisure and business travellers, the release says.

"The agreement aims to elevate Macao's status as a premium destination by showcasing its iconic UNESCO World Heritage sites, diverse attractions, and stunning landmarks.

"The partnership also involves launching joint marketing campaigns and creating customized products to attract high-value international guests. Both organizations will continue to explore additional ways to combine their strengths to draw more visitors to Macao, making it an even more attractive destination for diverse travellers."

It goes on to describe Sands China as "the largest integrated resorts operator and the market leader, with five integrated resorts in Macao including the unique European-themed resort city on the Cotai Strip.

"The Venetian Macao, The Parisian Macao, The Londoner Macao, and Four Seasons Macao are all interconnected, offering an array of world-class facilities including 10 international hotel brands, 12,500 hotel rooms and suites, over 150 dining options, over 150,000 sqm of meetings, Incentives, conferences, and exhibitions space, around 850 stores featuring world-renowned brands and six entertainment venues including the 15,000-seat Cotai Arena and the 6,000-seat The Londoner Arena."

Impressive. But not a mention anywhere of casinos, or gambling. The Chinese don't like it, apparently.

Thais to turn from marijuana to gambling

Thailand flirted with marijuana and then did a quick reverse ferret.

Now the Asian tourism hostpot is considering allowing casinos to boost international tourism.

The Thai government is considering legalising casinos to draw investment and tourism, a study submitted to the House of Representative has shown, but previous proposals have failed because of unease among the public, the Bangkok Post reports.

State-sanctioned horse race betting is currently the only gambling officially sanctioned, but insiders believe Thailand could rival the world's biggest gambling hub, Macau: the only place in China where citizens can legally gamble in casinos.

Many travel industry leaders believe legal casino resort gambling would be a major attraction for overseas tourists, and successful, even if it remained illegal or heavily restricted to Thai citizens.

Legalisation of gambling has been discussed in the past but no government has gone ahead due to public opposition. In a 2021 opinion poll, 46.51% opposed legalised gambling due to moral and crime concerns. Only 21.25% supported the idea.

The previous parliament approved a similar study last year but the house was dissolved before the cabinet could consider it.

Meet a bigger-than-ever floating casino

Bigger is better. That's often the motto in the US, and also the cruise industry, which just loves big things.

Now Princess Cruises is set to launch its biggest-ever casino at sea.

The 4,300-guest Sun Princess will have an expanded ship casino with 50% more space and 30% more machines than the line’s regular Royal Class ships.

Sun Princess sets sail in February 2024 and sounds like a floating RSL to me. 

I guess the market will decide. It might appeal to folk from Big Butt, Arkansas, where they don't have RSLs.

Located on deck 8 adjacent to the ship's piazza, there will be over 200 slot machines, video poker games and live table games.

“Princess has embraced the casino experience and is proud to offer such exciting gaming surrounded by dining and entertainment,” said John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises, said in a media statement.

The cruise ship casino will have a high-limit slot area, with high-end seating and other new gaming experiences.

Sun Princess is currently under construction at the famous Fincantieri shipyard in Italy.

Inaugural 2024 cruises to the Mediterranean, Europe and Caribbean are on sale now. For more information, visit www.princess.com.

Meet the warmer, family friendly Macao

 

What Beijing wants, Beijing gets.

The Chinese Government is very keen for Macao to diversify away from gambling and attract more family groups as tourists.

This means six gaming firms who secured new licenses for their Macao casino resorts will pay a significant price: pledged to spend billions on non-gaming facilities to keep the authorities happy.

The casino firms will invest about $15 billion in non-gaming as part of new long term contracts, Reuters reported.

The companies are: Sands China, Wynn Macau, Galaxy, MGM China, Melco and SJM Holdings.

The new contracts are effective from January 1, 2023.

The Chinese Government has - over the past few years - made it clear it wants more family friendly options and a cut on reliance on gambling tax revenues.

Macao is the world's biggest gambling hub and home to several of the grandest casino resorts on the planet.

Macao's leader Ho Iat Seng and officials including the city's finance and economy secretary presided over the signing at Macau's Government House together with top executives of the casino companies.