8 October 2002BANGKOK - A proposal to build Thailand’s first casino in the seaside resort town Pattaya will be put to the test this week when an opinion poll allows residents to give their vote on the plan.
Pattaya city mayor Pairat Suthidamrongsawasdi, a supporter of the casino proposal, said the results of the 200,000 baht (US$4,760) poll survey would be known by Oct 18, and the findings would then be passed to the government.
Pairat said Pattaya was an ideal location for casinos, since it was a popular tourist destination and many hotel properties were keen to develop their facilities to accommodate casinos.
The mayor dismissed the argument that gambling went against the principles of Buddhism, adding that even some Islamic countries had embraced the casino business.
In August, nearly 100 Thai Rak Thai MPs signed their names in support of legalising casinos.
The House has set up a committee headed by Thai Rak Thai MP Vithaya Buramasiri, who has already visited Poipet in Cambodia to survey six casinos operating just across the Thai/Cambodian border.
Authorities are eyeing, in particular, the island resort of Koh Lan for a casino, just off the coast of Pattaya.