Former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat will share their views on the controversial entertainment complex plan, in which casinos are included, at Thursday's special Senate committee meeting.
A media source on Tuesday said the committee, chaired by Sen Veerapun Suvannamai, tasked with studying the bill, will hold its fifth meeting, and Mr Abhisit and Mr Julapun have been invited to share their views.
This will be Mr Julapun's second time attending to explain the government's position on the bill, which has already been submitted to parliament.
At its previous meeting on May 29, the committee invited Chidtawan Chanakul from Kasetsart University's Faculty of Economics, along with Sornsit Krimjai and Thanaphat Chaloemrat, representatives of a youth network opposed to gambling.
According to the minutes of the meeting, Mr Chidtawan said that while integrated entertainment complexes may create jobs, they would likely employ low-skilled labour.
This means they are unlikely to significantly improve people's quality of life or help underprivileged groups escape poverty.
He also pointed out that illegal casinos still exist, even in developed countries. However, in countries like the United States and Singapore, illegal gambling has been suppressed by strong law enforcement.
The youth network expressed concern that allowing entertainment complexes featuring casinos could cause the public to see this as promoting gambling.
They said they feared this could tempt the young to ignore their education and seek quick money through gambling.
