The Council of State nevertheless raised six points of concern regarding the bill:
1. It focuses only on casino entertainment venues, contradicting the government’s policy of promoting comprehensive tourist destinations with other features, including water parks, amusement parks, shopping malls, concerts, festivals and world-class sporting events.
2. If the bill focuses only on “entertainment complexes,” it must clearly define what constitutes an entertainment complex. Are these hotels, service establishments, restaurants, etc.? ? As each of these activities is already regulated by specific laws, there is no need to adopt a new law in this area, as this would create redundancies.
3. The House of Representatives study on entertainment complexes says it will address the issue of illegal gambling. However, the public definition of an entertainment complex covers a variety of recreational activities, not a place specifically designed for gambling. Additionally, entertainment establishments are already regulated by laws. The problem of illegal gambling in these locations stems from the violation and lax enforcement of existing laws. Therefore, it is unclear how the proposed bill will solve the problem of illegal gambling.
4. If the government seeks to combat illegal gambling or legalize gambling in entertainment establishments, it could update or amend the existing Gambling Act (1935) to address the problem more effectively, rather than focusing on regulating the creation and management of entertainment complexes.