House of Representatives approves withdrawal of Entertainment Complex Bill

The House of Representatives voted in favour of withdrawing the Entertainment Complex Bill from deliberation, as proposed by the government. The motion received 253 votes in favour after over two hours of debate.

Pichet Chuamuangphan, First Deputy Speaker of the House, chaired the session and called for a vote on the matter. A total of 318 votes were cast as follows:


In favour: 253
Against: 65
Abstained: 0
Did not vote: 0


Parit questions government’s sincerity in withdrawing Entertainment Complex Bill

Prior to the vote, the Speaker allowed for more than two hours of discussion. The majority of speakers were from the People’s Party and the Bhumjaithai Party, while several members of the Pheu Thai Party protested during certain moments of the debate.

Parit Wacharasindhu, a list MP from the People’s Party, expressed his opposition to the government's proposal to withdraw the Entertainment Complex Bill. He stated that the People’s Party disagreed with both the approach and the contents of the bill.

Parit emphasised that, despite the government’s claims about the economic benefits of legalising casinos, there was still no clear evidence regarding the economic and social impacts. 

He also questioned the projected number of Thai players for the casinos, highlighting the contradictory reports used by the government to support their case.

He further argued that the government's decision to withdraw the bill was not based on sincerity, but rather a strategy to buy time and gather more support in the House. Parit expressed uncertainty over whether the government would attempt to reintroduce the bill in the future.

He reaffirmed that the People’s Party would continue to oppose the bill and urged the government to prove its sincerity by not bringing this problematic legislation back to the House during the current session.

Rangsiman Rome challenges government’s lack of sincerity

Rangsiman Rome, also a list MP from the People’s Party, criticised the government's sincerity in withdrawing the bill. 

He pointed out that the government had failed to prepare both the legal framework and control measures for the casino industry, which could have serious economic and social consequences, including money laundering and corruption, issues that remain prevalent in Thailand.

He questioned whether the government was withdrawing the bill to manage the situation or simply trying to buy time to address internal issues. 

Rangsiman called on the government to confirm that the bill would not be reintroduced in the current legislative session, and suggested that the issue should be decided by the people through a policy proposal during the next election.



Kannavee Suebsang: Government lacks understanding of global geopolitics

Kannavee Suebsang, a list MP from the Fair Party, said that the government’s decision to withdraw the bill was an admission of its ineffectiveness and inability to present legislation aligned with current realities. 

He blamed the government for not understanding the geopolitical situation in the region, suggesting that the bill could turn Thailand into a hub for grey and black market Chinese businesses, which could have both domestic and international consequences, particularly with neighbouring countries like Myanmar and Cambodia.

Kannavee insisted that the government had not properly considered the potential impacts of legalising casinos in Thailand and called for a thorough re-evaluation of the bill. 

He urged the government to withdraw the bill entirely if it truly wanted to gain the public’s trust.



Chaichanok Chidchob: Opposes bill withdrawal, says it fails to address underlying issues

Chaichanok Chidchob, an MP for Buriram and Secretary-General of the Bhumjaithai Party, declared that his party opposed the withdrawal of the Entertainment Complex Bill. 

He argued that withdrawing the bill would not resolve the underlying issues and that keeping the bill in the House would only cause further societal problems. He pointed out that this issue had already sparked significant public concern, which could lead to political mobilisation.

He emphasised that the withdrawal was merely a delay and would not address the ongoing issues. 

Chaichanok highlighted that with Thailand facing several crises, such as flooding in Phuket and Pattaya, failing to resolve the Entertainment Complex Bill issue would prevent the government from addressing other pressing problems effectively.

"The Bhumjaithai Party believes that the increasing opposition from the public to this bill must be heard. Resolving the issue today will prevent it from becoming a persistent disruption to society and the government’s other actions," he said.



Watcharaphon Khaokham, a Pheu Thai MP from Udon Thani, proposed a motion to end the debate, prompting dissatisfaction from the opposition, although they were unable to take further action.

The Speaker then called for a vote on the motion to close the debate. The vote results were as follows:


In favour: 251
Against: 3
Abstained: 1
Did not vote: 4


After the vote, the Speaker called on MPs to enter the chamber to vote on the withdrawal of the bill, which passed according to the government’s proposal. The session then moved on to the next agenda item.

(2025/07/09-00:00)