Finance Ministry returns Entertainment Complex draft act to Cabinet Secretariat

Thailand's Ministry of Finance has sent the draft Entertainment Complex Business Act to the Cabinet Secretariat, where it is waiting to be placed on the Cabinet agenda, Deputy Finance Minister Chulapan Amornvivat confirmed. A Cabinet meeting on 27 March 2568 is expected to discuss the draft¹.

The bill runs to 7 chapters and 104 sections. It covers general provisions, a policy committee for entertainment complexes, an administrative committee and control office for the business, and the office's director and deputy directors. It also sets licensing conditions, control and enforcement measures, rules for officials, penalties and transitional provisions. Under the transitional arrangements, a temporary committee would act as the policy committee in the first period, with civil servants from the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Interior appointed by the prime minister as secretary and joint secretary, and the prime minister appointing an acting director.

The Fiscal Policy Office summarized the fifth round of public consultation on the draft, which ran from 28 February to 14 March 2568, after the Council of State had reviewed it. More than 71,000 people took part. About 80 percent agreed with the draft overall and about 20 percent disagreed, across every chapter¹.

Consultation feedback raised several issues. Respondents asked for registered capital to be set in line with business size, and said the proposed 10 percent casino floor area may be too small, though strict controls would be needed. Other proposals covered rules against opaque capital, a clear timeline for the licensing process, more certainty for operators, and an online application system¹.

Some opposed the 50 million baht threshold, arguing it would affect direct investment and that the business could not get off the ground if the customer base was small. Proposals included:

• cutting the threshold to 10 million baht and allowing other assets such as shares and land
• allowing income checks through three years of past tax filings
• lowering the threshold to 5 million baht with an added condition of annual income of at least 2 million baht

On the minimum deposit rule, some said it may restrict individual rights unduly and suggested alternatives such as a maximum gambling limit and providing information on responsible gambling¹.

What it means for players

The draft is not law. It has been returned to the Cabinet Secretariat and still needs to be placed on the Cabinet agenda, so nothing about casino access, entry rules or player eligibility has changed yet. The 50 million baht deposit condition that drew most comment would fall on Thai nationals seeking to enter casinos, and observers have warned it may restrict individual rights; the consultation proposals to lower it or accept shares and land are suggestions, not decisions. For now, the legal position for people gambling in Thailand is unchanged; see the Thailand guide and the regional gambling law overview for the current rules.

What happens next

The Cabinet is expected to discuss the draft at its meeting on 27 March 2568, according to the report. Whether the Secretariat places it on that agenda has not been confirmed. If approved, the bill would still need to pass through the legislative process before taking effect; no timetable for that has been reported.