Taiwan is studying the possibility of ending its ban on casinos

Taiwan is studying the possibility of ending its ban on casinos so as to boost its tourism industry, a move others such as Singapore have already taken to exploit the boom in Chinese travel overseas, an official said Thursday. The Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) is evaluating the impact of lifing the exiting ban on casinos, with special consideration being paid to issues of social morals and family values, a CEPD spokeswoman said. “Casino licensing is just one of the government’s options aimed at raising the tourism revenue,” the spokeswoman said. “We are employing a prudent manner to study whether and how the licensing will help achieve the goal of boosting tourism. No decision has been made,” she said. The council is scheduled to release a report on the study in the second half of this year. In 2005, tourism revenue in Taiwan totaled 10.96 billion US dollars, little changed from 2004, accounting for 3.17 percent of the island’s gross domestic product (GDP). The 2006 figures will be released in July or August. The CEPD spokeswoman said the casino liberalisation is a complicated issue for a society where gambling is viewed badly but allows sales of lotteries for welfare purposes. Chu Yen-min, head of research at KGI Securities, said he supports casino operations in Taiwan. “Casinos in neighbouring countries, such as Macau, Singapore and South Korea, are attracting many foreign visitors. I think casinos will help the local tourism industry,” Chu said. The southern Chinese enclave of Macau has come to rival Las Vegas as one of the world’s largest gambling centres with gaming revenue soaring 22 percent to seven billion dollars in 2006. “The local tourism sector wants to accommodate more mainland Chinese visistors. Casinos will certainly become a big attraction once the Taipei government allows more Chinese tourists to visit the island,” Chu said. Taiwan is negotiating with Beijing on relaxing toursim controls. It currently grants tourist entry permits only to Chinese who are studying overseas, who are permanent residents of third countries or who are travelling on to other destinations. The island has banned direct trade and transport exchanges with China since the two sides split in 1949 at the end of a civil war.