Taiwan To Legalize B&M

Monday, members of the Taiwanese Council for Economic Planning and Development said that the country’s legislature may legalize gambling on several off-shore islands before the body adjourns for Chinese New Year.

The Legislative Yuan, Taiwan’s highest legislative body, has already completed a second reading of a bill that would legalize land-based gambling in Penghu, Quemoy and Matsu. According to Taiwanese law, the legislature must complete three readings of a bill before the current session ends on Jan. 24 for it to become law.

The cabinet-level Council for Economic Planning and Development also told reporters that exact locations for the possible casinos had yet to be determined. However, according to British AMZ Holdings’ Taiwan-operations president Ashley Hines, the company is one of three operators considering a site in Penghu.

Hines also said that the company plans to construct a 500-room resort on an 11-hectacre coastal tract – a project which will cost it and estimated $200 million in construction alone.

The introduction of the bill is likely due to President Ma Ying-jeou, who proposed off-shore gambling during his campaign last year. Although the Presidential Office has denied reports that it organized a taskforce to study the legalization of casino gambling, the bill was drawn up shortly after Ma’s inauguration in May.

Supporters of the legislation claim that the new bill could help buttress the islands’ economies during the Winter season when tourism peters out. However, detractors say that legalized casinos would only harm island natives, attracting organized crime and favoring mainland residents for jobs because of their advanced degrees.

“This is good only for the major hotels,” souvenir-shop owner Chen Chen-hsiu told Gaming Today. “The overall economy here won’t see that much impact.”

Critics also point out that, though a non-binding referendum held in Penghu showed 56-percent approval for the bill, only 21 percent of eligible voters participated.

If the bill is passed in the Yuan, the next step is to hold a binding referendum in the subject counties.

“Legal amendments and respect for the opinions of the local population would be the key elements in any changes of laws on gambling,” presidential spokesman Wang Yu-chi said.

Phill Provance phill.provance@gamblingplanet.org