Taipei — The government will not open up the casino industry for the moment due to the absence of relevant legal framework and a lack of public consensus, Ho Mei-yueh, chairwoman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD), said yesterday.

Ho was responding to a question from opposition Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Chiang Yi-hsiung during a Legislative Yuan committee meeting.

Ho noted that other countries do not separately promote the casino industry, but integrate it into the comprehensive development of the leisure industry.

The opening of the gambling industry requires a sound legal environment and a special institution to oversee the industry, Ho said. She added that further discussions on how to minimize the possible adverse impact of the casino industry opening will be held among relevant government agencies in the future.

Ho said that the government will first launch a sports lottery, then seek more public input on the casino industry issue when local people are more familiar with foreign sporting events.