Casinos are the bane of Singapore
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Just thought I would share this article here... I think this is well written!
http://www.tremeritus.com/2012/10/29/casinos-are-the-bane-of-singapore/
In 2005, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the cabinet’s decision to build not one but two “integrated resorts”. This decision was met with widespread criticism from the public and religious groups. However, PM Lee stated that “As Prime Minister, I carry the ultimate responsibility for the decision”.
5 years later, the casinos were open. Initially, busloads of people visited the casinos, most of them foreigners.
When I visited the casinos recently, I discovered that 80% of the cars in the Resorts World Sentosa car park were Singapore registered vehicles. One of the main objectives of the casinos was to boost tourism as well as create new jobs for Singaporeans.
However, I also noticed that most of the staff employed at the casinos, restaurants, hotels and theme park were foreigners. Therefore, the casinos did not really create much jobs for Singaporeans. What percentage of the staff at the integrated resorts are actually Singaporeans? What’s more, the higher level jobs such as Pit Bosses are usually foreigners.
I am a young working adult and even on a personal level, the casinos have affected me greatly. My parents are compulsive gamblers who have purchased the annual levy every year since they opened. And I rarely get to see them any more, as they visit the casinos as many as six to seven times in a week. They neglect their jobs and are only interested in gambling. I have tried to counsel them but they were very stubborn and unrelenting. To date, they have each lost more than 50,000 dollars at the casinos.
I strongly feel that there needs to be more safeguards to limit the damage caused by the casinos operating in Singapore. The current measures put in place are grossly inadequate. For example, the government should limit the number of times that Singaporeans can visit the casinos to for example, eight times per month. The reason for this is that there are people who are going to the casinos almost every day and neglecting the families and work. These need to be put in place as soon as possible, before it is too late.
The day levy of 100 dollars is also counter productive. As a result of trying to recoup the fee, gamblers would bet bigger amounts. It also creates an unfair environment for Singaporeans, as foreigners are not subjected to this entry fee. As a result of the day levy being 24 hours, Singaporeans would purchase the levy after work, gamble till midnight, skip work the next day just to utilise the full 24 hours.
Secondly, the government has not been very transparent about the negative impact of the casinos in Singapore. Based on some investigation and insider information from staff, there have been a number of suicides related to the casinos that were unreported. For Singaporeans who might be considering staying in the resort hotels, do bear in mind that some of the rooms are not “clean”. During a stay at one of the hotels at one of the casinos, we could hear knocking sounds in the walls throughout the night. Besides these, there have been a sudden increase in suicides in Singapore this year, such as drownings at Bedok Reservoir, MRT tracks and jumping cases. I wonder how many of them are possibly gambling related…
There have also been multiple stories of families that were ruined by breakups, suicides or bankruptcy that were not reported in the mainstream media. The internet can provide some clues. Although the casinos did not force anyone to enter and gamble, by making it so easily accessible to Singaporeans, it basically tempts people to go in and try their luck. The newspapers only report the news of only Singaporeans such as the hawker who won 400k at MBS. This only serves to make people think that it is easy to make money at the casinos. However, I know of rich people who have lost millions at the casinos in a week as well as middle class people who have lost their life savings gambling, and had to sell their homes just to feed their family.
Yes, although there are a few lucky ones who have won, but overall, 8 out of 10 people have lost money there. In 2011, the revenue of MBS and RWS was 2.3 billion and 2.6 billion respectively. Note that this is not revenue for Singapore. In the casino, I overheard a conversation between two elderly women in Hokkien that one of their relatives was addicted to gambling. They borrowed money from both loan sharks and licensed moneylenders. Being unable to pay their mounting debts, the parents “ran road” and left their children behind to fend for themselves. I hope this story isn’t true as I really pity the poor children.
One day on the way to work, while taking the train on the circle line, I overheard two Singaporean uncles chatting:
(Sic)
“Today, I feeling lucky. I think today sure win big”
“You sure? How come?”
“Last night I dreamt that I win a lot of money.”
“Wah. Win already treat me dinner ah.”
“Ok no problem, if I win big, abalone and sharks fin also can!”
I hope he had enough money to return home. More safeguards are needed to protect Singaporean families from the vice of casino gambling.
A) Limiting the number of visits by Singaporeans to a maximum of eight times a month. In order to visit the casinos beyond that limit, they have to submit proof of their financial stability to the regulatory authority for approval.
B) Implementing closing hours for the casino (between 4am to 6 am) so that people would not gamble non-stop for days on end without sleeping and fainting in the casino.
C) Reduce the levy from 100 dollars for 24 hours to 100 dollars for 12 hours. This is because the 24 hours hour levy encourages people to stay longer at the casinos and as a result, lose more money.
D) Scrap the annual levy at the casinos. The annual levy actually encourages Singaporeans to visit the casinos very often as they can enter whenever they like. Each time Singaporeans visit the casinos, they should have to pay the entry levy.
E) The current proposed safeguards only serve to protect those who are clearly at risk, such as undischarged bankrupts or those on financial aid. However, those people who are earning a low salary below 1500 dollars have little money to spare, and probably no savings. Therefore, only people who have a certain level of income should be allowed to visit the casinos more than a certain number of times per month.
F) Better management of crime related activities at the casinos. My male friends as well as myself have witnessed multiple instance as well as been approached by foreign women offering “special services”.
G) There are also other forms of vice there, such as stealing other people’s chips, mobile phones, handbags, fraud and claiming other people’s winnings.
H) Poor security measures at the casinos. There have been people who used other people’s identity cards to enter the casino.
I) Allow family members, relatives, employers to have greater ability to apply for exclusion for someone that they know that is at a risk for gambling. For example, currently, children of problem gamblers find it hard to apply for exclusion for their parents as their parents would warn them not to.
J) Parents leave their children waiting outside the casino with nothing to do. I saw children sitting down on the floor outside the casinos looking bored. Two hours later, they were still there.
K) The casinos’ impact on Singaporeans’ lives needs to be better studied.
L) The government should release the employment figures of the ratio of Singaporeans and PRs employed versus the foreigners.
M) Overall, I feel that the casinos and integrated resorts have brought more disadvantages than advantages for Singapore.
Problems such as proxy gambling have also cropped up. Employers send their foreign workers to the casinos to gamble on their behalf. These foreign workers are being exploited by their unscrupulous employers who even dock their salary when they lose money. The government needs to acknowledge that there have been shortcomings on their part and not claim that things are “well managed” and “under control”.
Nowadays, instead of spending time with their families, religious places or sports, gambling is becoming the new national pastime of many adult Singaporeans. Is Singapore becoming a SIN city? Should the casinos be shut down for good? I think that as a government, you cannot only look at GDP and ignore the social problems. Otherwise, you would be operating as a profit oriented company, Singapore Private Limited.
The three buildings of MBS were said to be inspired by card decks. However, to me, they may very well represent three tombstones for Singapore if they are not managed appropriately. And the boat? I think it represents Singaporeans’ hard earned money being shipped away. I can only hope for the best for Singapore.
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So he is basically blaming the government becuase his parents have no self control.
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just ask how often his parents, "who are compulsive gamblers" , visited genting, went on cruise ships before the casinos in Singapore were opened.
article well written? think readers were born yesterday or what.
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@sgdiehard
A lot of new gamblers went to the casinos after they were opened.
"SINGAPORE: In the seven months since the opening of the two integrated resorts in Singapore, there have been more than one million visits by locals to the casinos there."
Are you sure there are one million visits by locals to genting and cruise ships before the casinos in Singapore were opened? Cruise ships can have one million visits?
Secondly, most of the cruise ship casinos are only open a few hours a day (have closing hours), not 24/7 like the casinos in Singapore.
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Gambling dens are everywhere in Singapore. Seriously, people are lack of insights.
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@Lokey
Illegal gambling dens usually only have a few hundred patrons a month.
http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20121023-379343.html
Jackpot places and mahjong games - you won't lose as much money on them as compared to table games / casino.
Casino also encourage people to put big bets - minimum $50/100.. Gambling dens $2.
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Originally posted by Depwnz:
So he is basically blaming the government becuase his parents have no self control.
Agreed. This is like blaming money is evil when it is actually people who are at fault.
I do gamble too, but only $1 per week in the toto draws and $3 per month in sg sweep. It all boils down to self control of individual. There is nothing wrong with gambling when you are able to control yourself. It's just a little leisure.
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Originally posted by AngelM:
@sgdiehard
A lot of new gamblers went to the casinos after they were opened.
"SINGAPORE: In the seven months since the opening of the two integrated resorts in Singapore, there have been more than one million visits by locals to the casinos there."
Are you sure there are one million visits by locals to genting and cruise ships before the casinos in Singapore were opened? Cruise ships can have one million visits?
Secondly, most of the cruise ship casinos are only open a few hours a day (have closing hours), not 24/7 like the casinos in Singapore.
You use statistic and make conclusion. How about this, before the two integrated resorts were built in Singapore, no Singaporean visit casino in Singapore, after the resorts were built, ONE MILLION SINGAPOREAN visit casino in Singapore, an increase of XXXX times.
I have never been to the casino in Singapore, but I do know in my estate here go there to pass time. I know many clubs' income from jackpot has reduced significantly.
I parked my cars at the resort car park to go universal studio and dinner at MBS. Me counted as gambler?
I can't provide solution to the social problem such as gambling, but I do know that if your parents are compulsive gamblers, it is your duty to restrain them. It is your responsibility to ensure that your family won't sink and your money don't get gambled away.
I empathize with you if you feel helpless because your parents won't listen to you. After all, if they feel it is their money they can do with it anyway they want, you just have to settle for the fact that your won't get any inheritance.
Don't link your fate to Singapore.
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Don't flame please....I think he made a valid point. AngelM have you considered taking out a restraining order that prevents your parents from using the casino? Now that it's so accessible lots of locals are going...
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$100 entrance fee is "so accessible" only to the gamblers. To others, we can visit garden by the bay many times. Now go see Jia Jia and Kai Kai. that can pay for a good dinning experience and still got change....
the cantonese says "ngou mm yam sui mm gam dak ngou dei tou." i.e. you can force the cow to bend her head if she doesn't want to drink water (or eat grass). "
don't blame please...
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I read revenue dropping for casinoes.
How ah?
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Originally posted by charlize:
I read revenue dropping for casinoes.
How ah?
no more money to gamble loh....
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wht casino bands me go inside gamble. cannot must be like PRC workers bus drivers boycock strike
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Casinos are a fantastic source of tax revenue and tourist receipts. If people want to gamble and their families suffer, it's their fault and their fault alone. It makes my blood boil whenever I read how people complain that casinos are making them or their closed ones gamble their lives away. How is it anyone else's fault except themselves? No one's forcing them to gamble but it is the innate greed that compels them to do so.
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i want to go leh.. i was force by $100 not to go.. $100 is nothing to our dear ministers. $100 is something to me..what i dun understand is, casinos, multi billions projects. go in walk walk look see look see also cannot..
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Originally posted by Tcsaaa:
i want to go leh.. i was force by $100 not to go.. $100 is nothing to our dear ministers. $100 is something to me..what i dun understand is, casinos, multi billions projects. go in walk walk look see look see also cannot..
go in walk walk and see see, after that cannot tahan and lose some money then your loved ones will blame the garmen, and garmen closes down casino then nobody can go walk walk see see. $100 is necessary and it works...
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Originally posted by Tcsaaa:
i want to go leh.. i was force by $100 not to go.. $100 is nothing to our dear ministers. $100 is something to me..what i dun understand is, casinos, multi billions projects. go in walk walk look see look see also cannot..
Save your $100. When you have the chance go overseas, visit theirs, without you paying S$100
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go in casino must pay meh? i know 100 dollas. but if i go in never gamble should no need to pay 100 dollas right? i don;t know leh really i dont aku dadah makan tahu lah
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Will they increase the $100 soon?
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Sure will go up, it is just a matter of time.
$$$ ,more $$$$ and more and more $$$$$$$$$$$$$ for them, huat everyday, every year, every minute, second, hours!!
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Originally posted by charlize:
Will they increase the $100 soon?
So TS was right that casinoes are the bane of sg?
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Originally posted by charlize:
Will they increase the $100 soon?
raise from sgd$100/- to ren ming fart $200 i dont mind. -
Casinoes create jobs.
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Huat ah.