Bangkok Post – Horse racing club plans 200 billion baht entertainment complex

Royal Turf Club: International partners for location in Bangkok with casino

The Royal Turf Club raises a 200 billion baht fund to build a Entertainment complex These include a casino on a huge property in Bangkok.

According to local media reports, Pathawee Surin, a director of the club, said the organization will build “The Royal Siam Haven” on a 1,200-rai site with foreign partners. Construction is expected to begin next year and take seven years to complete.

The project will include a horse racing track, clubhouse, golf course, yacht club, sports complex, six-star hotel, luxury restaurants, wellness hospital, learning center and casino.

The club did not disclose the exact location.

The Pheu Thai-led government is aggressively pursuing plans to legalise casino gambling, but only in approved entertainment complexes. A draft bill is currently under consideration, but even some parties in the coalition – notably second-placed Bhumjaithai – oppose the idea in its current form.

The construction of a new entertainment complex would allow the Royal Turf Club to revive its horse racing business. Founded in 1916 by local aristocrats, the club operated the Nang Loeng racecourse in Bangkok's Dusit district until its closure in 2018. The land, owned by the Crown Property Bureau, was converted into a public park.

Mr Pathawee said that the Royal Turf Club would carry out its project with the Royal Sport Complex and that they were in the process of securing four more partners from China, South Korea and the United States.

A potential partner from South Korea is active in the horse racing business. The club has already received a new racecourse license from the Interior Ministry, he was quoted as saying.

The Ministry of Finance is expected to submit a draft bill on entertainment complexes and casinos to the Cabinet later this year.

A House of Representatives committee investigating policies toward entertainment complexes concluded that Thais would make up the majority of visitors to legalized casinos.

According to local media reports, a number of major international companies are exploring the possibility of entering the Thai market if gambling is legalized. They include Las Vegas Sands, Wynn Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, MGM China and Hard Rock Café.