Penghu residents may soon vote on casinos

Saturday 21st of May 2016

Penghu residents may soon take part in a referendum to allow casinos to open in their hometowns, local media reports.

Over 5,000 signatures of eligible voters were collected, passing the minimum threshold of 4,114 signatures said Cheng Meng - the convener of an alliance that is pushing for the legalization of gambling in Penghu.

According to Chen, once the number of signatures reach its goal of 6,000, the alliance will send them to the country’s election commission for review.

“At the earliest, the second referendum on gambling is likely to take place before the end of the year,” Chen said, quoted by Taipei Times.

In the first referendum in 2009, 56.4 percent of total valid ballots was against the introduction of casinos.

In 2012, a referendum saw the residents of Matsu voting in favour of casino resorts as a means of attracting tourists and boosting the local economy.

Enabling legislation to allow casinos on Taiwan’s outlying islands has been stalled at the national level after failing to be put forward during a special session of parliament. It’s unclear as to when it may next be tabled.

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