Domestic and foreign tourists pack an amphitheater situated atop the cliffs of Uluwati to watch a performance of Bali’s iconic Kecak Dance on April 11, 2024. - Photo: Antara file
JAKARTA: The head of the Bali Tourism Office has rejected an idea to build an international-standard casino in the island province, put forward by a local business group.
Bali tourism head Tjokorda Bagus Pemayun has nipped the idea in the bud saying that a casino ran counter to Balinese culture that formed the basis of the province’s tourism industry.
Speaking at the Bali Legislative Council (DPRD) on Monday (Aug 5), Tjokorda added that national laws made it impossible to run a casino.
"It's not yet possible [to build a casino], because gambling is not allowed by law,” he said, as quoted by CNN Indonesia.
Agung Bagus Pratiksa Linggih, the Bali chairman of the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (HIPMI), said earlier in the day that building a casino of international standards could help the provincial administration raise revenue to finance waste management and attract more tourists.
A casino would allow Bali to rival Singapore and bring in between Rp 12 trillion (US$742 million) and Rp 13 trillion in potential annual revenue for the region’s budget, he added.
“It is now important to build a casino, because Bali’s local revenue is around Rp 4 trillion and Bali also faces several challenges, one of which is waste management.
For waste management alone, Bali needs Rp 3 trillion,” Agung said on Monday, as quoted by CNN Indonesia.
He acknowledged that a special regulation would be needed to green-light a casino development project in Bali, since gambling was illegal in Indonesia.
Agung also expressed the hope that, if the proposal was approved, a casino would be constructed in a carefully selected area that lagged in development to boost equality.
In line with this aim, Agung suggested that a casino could be built in Buleleng, Karangasem, Klungkung or Bangli, all regencies in the north of the island’s tourism heartland centered in Denpasar.
If a casino were indeed to be built in Bali however, he underlined that local residents should be prohibited from gambling there to avoid any “significant effects”, likely referring to ongoing discourse and efforts to resolve gambling addiction in the country.
Agung meanwhile stressed that the casino management should be 50 percent Balinese, so local residents benefited from the new business as participants and were not relegated to mere spectators.
"Of course, this is not the only solution [to boost tourism and provincial revenue].
"I understand there are pros and cons in the community, although I see many who are in favour [of casino development].
"But this is not the only solution I offer. There are others, like family offices and other [ventures]," said the HIPMI Bali chair.
"In early June, Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan suggested that the government promote Bali as a family office hub and offer tax incentives for the region’s entrepreneurs, expressing his hope that these measures would contribute to growing the national economy.
Luhut also pitched the future capital city of Nusantara under development in East Kalimantan as a suitable base for wealthy families. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
