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Outlying challenge


time in the next three years. T is is the view of independent gaming and leisure industry strategist Jonathan Galaviz. In the past few months, various


meetings have been held to examine the feasibility of legalising gambling in Taiwan. Offi cials in Taipei have shown a clear interest in developing casino resorts on Kinmen, Penghu and Matsu as a way to boost economic growth on these underdeveloped is- lands. T e law does not currently allow


casinos on the main island of Taiwan but a development law for the smaller


With new gaming legislation in the pipeline, Taiwan may be close to allowing casinos on its outlying islands I


BY LUCIANA LEITÃO


t is likely that Taiwan will allow ca- sinos on its outlying islands some-


islands permits casinos if they are ap- proved by residents in a referendum. Two years ago, residents of the


island county of Penghu rejected a casino proposal. T e proponents of casinos suff ered a setback but were undeterred. In April, a gambling bill was drawn up. According to some reports it will be presented to parlia- ment as soon as September. T e authorities on Matsu have said


they will look into holding a referen- dum in the coming months. Kinmen is also moving toward a referendum, while Penghu must wait because three years must elapse before a proposal re- jected in one referendum can be put to another vote.


79 Mr Galaviz, who moderated the


“North Asia: South Korea, Taiwan and Japan” session at G2E Asia 2011, says a way to ensure that local referen- dums approve casinos is to make the islanders “confi dent that the develop- ment will be about tourism economics and not casino economics”. Mr Galaviz does not believe the


opening of casinos on Taiwan’s outly- ing islands would hurt Macau. Macau’s gaming regulator, Manuel


Joaquim


das Neves, thinks otherwise. He re- cently told the Macau Daily Times that Taiwan hoped to set its special ca- sino tax at between 12 and 15 percent of gross gaming revenue, far less than Macau’s 35 percent direct tax.


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