A bill that legalizes casino gambling in some parts of the country is moving its way through the Parliament of Myanmar. The bill is a major step forward in crushing the country’s thriving, and quite violent, underground gambling culture as well as a move to attract foreign tourists.
Any new casino that’s built as the result of the law had better appeal to foreigners because they’ll be the only ones allowed through the doors. Under the terms of the new, which was drafted by the Public Affairs Committee of Lower House Parliament, casinos would be allowed in certain areas that serve tourists. In general, these are the lands nearest to the Chinese and Thai borders, which is where most of the foreign gambling traffic is expected to come from.
Casinos for foreigners, however, is not the only thing this new bill accomplishes, a fact that Lower House parliamentarian Nay Myo Tun from Htantapin Constituency pointed out to Myanmar news site ElevenMyanmar saying:
he Public Affairs Management Committee submitted the proposal to the bill committee which forwarded it to the parliament. It was discussed by 12 MPs at parliament. They amended some phrases in the bill. This is not a casino law. The casino law has many sections.
Among other things, the bill opens the door for a national lottery.
Now that the bill has passed through committee and the Lower House, it’s set for a vote from the Upper House and could be set into law by the end of the year.