Penghu residents vote against casinos on the
archipelago
Many cite concerns about gambling-related crime
and the long-term viability of a casino
Residents of Taiwan's Penghu County yesterday
rejected the idea of a opening a casino on the outlying islands in
the country's first binding local referendum.
Residents of
the outlying archipelago worried about gambling-related crime and
feared the remote island would not attract enough tourists to keep
the casino in business.
Taiwan's government in January revoked a
long-standing antigambling law and allowed the building of casinos
in remote counties to help stimulate their economies.
But residents
of the islands voted down the proposal yesterday for a privately
run resort and casino.
Penghu county authorities wanted to open the resort in 2014.
A total of 17,359 votes, or 56.4 percent of the total
valid ballots, opposed the proposition, while
13,397 supported it. There were 298 invalid ballots cast.
Forty-two percent of Penghu County's 73,651
eligible voters participated in the poll.
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