Taiwan to assess potential gambling industry

Chen Tain-jy, chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD), said that the outlying island county of Penghu, with a view to boosting its economy, has long demanded the legalization of the gambling industry and has been seeking permission to develop gambling as a business there.

Moreover, the northern counties of Miaoli and Taipei are also actively seeking permission to operate gambling establishments there, Chen added.

The calls by local governments for the legalization of the gambling industry have intensified since May 20, when President Ma Ying-jeou took office, as this was one of his election promises.

Chen said the report will include the possible impact of the gambling industry on the society and whether it is good time to open casinos in Taiwan. It will also cover regulations governing the gambling industry, such as licensing issues, casino operation management and methods of income allocation.

He added that if the assessment concludes that the plan is viable, and after all the relevant regulations have been formulated, all local governments would be allowed to file applications to start such businesses.

However, priority would be given to the country’s offshore islands, given that a recent CEPD survey showed that most respondents favored opening up the offshore islands to the development of the gambling business, Chen said.

The offshore islands include Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, Chen specified. However, he added that the local governments would be required to show that they have the approval of local residents, that they could obtain investments by appropriate international investors and that the business would create economic benefits.

Chen made the remarks after he concluded a fact-finding tour of casino operations in Melbourne, Australia last week where he attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) ministerial meeting.

Chen said Australia’s gambling business is not operated any differently from other industries. But in fact, it is a very complicated and difficult business to deal with and requires a comprehensive management system, he said.

He further explained that the country has many rules governing the gambling industry, such as those related to the management of products, betting calculators, odds calculators and gambling operators.

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