Members of a coalition of civil groups urge Kinmen County residents to vote against legalizing gambling in the county during a protest at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: CNA
Anti-gambling activists and representatives from various religious groups yesterday urged Kinmen residents to return home and vote “no” to legalized gambling in a referendum scheduled for Saturday next week.
The referendum is crucial because it will not only determine the future of gambling on Taiwan’s outlying islands, but it could also end calls for the legalization of gambling, Taiwan Coalition Against Legalized Gambling executive director Ho Tsung-hsu (何宗勳) said.
“People in Penghu have voted in two separate referendums to reject legalized gambling. If people in Kinmen [County] also choose to veto the legalization of gambling, it would de facto abolish Article 10-2 of the Offshore Islands Development Act [離島建設條例], which forms the legal basis for opening a casino on outlying islands,” he said.
Article 10-2 stipulates that before an offshore island can permit the establishment of tourist casinos, a local referendum must be held in accordance with the Referendum Act (公民投票法), with more than half of valid votes cast in favor of allowing casinos.
