The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is expected to formulate a basic policy around June to legalize casinos in an effort to attract more tourists from abroad, lawmakers said Saturday.

A member of a subcommittee on casinos launched under the LDP's special committee on tourism said the party should expedite discussions to lift its ban on casinos as Asian countries are competing each other to attract more tourists via gambling.

Singapore lifted its ban on casinos last April, and Thailand may follow suit.

There have been public objections, however, due to concerns about public order in communities hosting such facilities and possible unfavorable effects on young people.

The subcommittee member said casinos have led to a significant boost in tourists to countries that have legalized them.

The subcommittee plans to discuss what gambling houses should be like if they are to be legalized and what to do about the Penal Code banning casinos, before working out an interim report in late April, the members said.

The LDP plans to listen to opinions of local government officials, academics and business leaders, they said.

It will also hold discussions with the National Police Agency, the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, they said.

Tokyo and the prefectures of Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Osaka, Wakayama and Miyazaki have jointly established a local government's council on casinos to discuss the possibility of lifting the ban on them.

Some municipal governments have proposed establishing a special economic zone for casinos, but the National Police Agency has strongly opposed such a move.