Thailand's Richest Man Advocates Casino Gambling

Thailand’s richest man, Dhanin Chearavanont, has called upon Thailand to revise its gambling laws as a means to help expand the Southeast Asian country’s economy.
While attending an event commemorating the 20th anniversary of Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission,  Dhanin took the opportunity to air his views on the issue of gambling, a contentious issue in a country where 90% of the 67 million population are Buddhist. Born around 563BC, the spiritual teacher revered for his enlightened wisdom,  warned against the dangers of habitual gambling leading to an assortment of ills.
Nevertheless, Dhanin Chearavanont believes Thailand should strive to follow the examples of Macau, and Singapore, which every month pull in millions in gambling revenue. As Dhanin explains:
“Singapore just opened a casino not long ago. Its income from gambling now ranks third in the world at about B170 billion [US$5.38bn] a year. If Thailand opens casinos, I expect we’ll soon be number one in the world..People are offering us money to do it – why not accept? We have to face the facts, they’re there for all to see.”
In addition, the Thai Chinese entrepreneur whose family’s wealth is estimated at around US$7.4 billion, pointed to the advantages to Thailand’s tourism industry. Currently, tourism is the country’s second biggest revenue generator and according to Dhanin, the opening up of casinos would help attract more visitors to the country and boost its hotel and accommodation figures.
“I further propose that the government open casinos in tourism destinations such as Phuket, Pattaya and Chiang Mai, which will lure tourists into spending money..Don’t look at gambling as something evil: underground gambling in Thailand is everywhere; we have to accept it. ..When Thailand has no casinos, the players disappear to Las Vegas, Macao and countries on our borders,” elaborated the 74 year-old businessman.