Why can’t we bar S’poreans from our casinos?

Yes, just like Malaysia bars Malaysian Muslims from their Genting Casino, why can’t Singapore do the same for Singaporeans? After all, before the IRs in Singapore came into existence, Singaporeans never had the chance to visit these casinos. So there’s no loss to these addictive gamblers anyway, is there?

More leave home to flee gambling debts

ALICE Lim, 56, came home one day in March to find red and yellow paint splashed all over her door, and her husband?s belongings and passport gone from their bedroom.

It was only then that she found out that her husband, Richard (not his real name), owed more than $150,000 to loansharks after chalking up debts in the past six months at the Resorts World casino. She is one of the increasing number of spouses whose husbands run away after losing and borrowing large amounts of money at the casinos. The Crime Library here says that they have been approached by 60 spouses this year – up from just 20 cases last year.

Casino-no. Pic taken from above link (ST Online)

Let’s face it. Gambling and crime go hand in hand. Casionos mean big time gambling, which in turn means big time crime. If you don’t believe me, let’s listen to someone who has seen it first hand. Let’s get it from Mr Wang from MrWangSaysSo, who happens to be an ex-DPP, who only knows too well about crimes in Singapore.

George Yeo and His True Legacy for Singapore

Casinos strike me as a rich, natural breeding ground for many types of crimes. Casinos are to criminals what garbage dumps are to rats, or shit is to houseflies. Specifically, a casino environment is supportive of the following species of criminal offences – theft, robbery, extortion, cheating, drug trafficking, consumption of illegal drugs, illegal moneylending, money laundering, vice activities, human trafficking and other immigration-related offences.

The two casinos have opened only in the recent past, so some of you will argue that it is too early to say if I am right or wrong. In fact I hope to be proven wrong about what I have said about the casinos – for who would want to live in a crime-infested country? Nevertheless, we can already begin to get a flavour of George Yeo’s true legacy for Singapore.

Mr Wang proceeds to give a host of real life gambling related crimes in his article above.

So why can’t we just ban Singaporeans from casinos and stop this increasing crime rate, related to gambling? The answer is simple. The casinos bring in big $$$$$ for the govt. But then, the govt won’t be able to say that directly. So it has to get agencies to tell you that casinos aren’t so evil.

And who tells you that. Yeah, it had to be the Institute of Mental Health. Like they’re the authority to tell you about gambling related crimes.

IRs here have not created more gambling addicts: CRA

The presence of the Integrated Resorts (IRs) here has not caused a spike in the number of gambling addicts, said Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA) chairman Richard Magnus yesterday, citing a study done by the Institute of Mental Health.

Speaking at a question and answer session at the 23rd Singapore Law Review Annual Lecture, Mr Magnus said that the study concluded that gambling addiction numbers before and after the establishment of the IRs remained the same.

What the IRs did, though, was provide “just another avenue for gambling”, said Mr Magnus.

A study by the Institute of Mental Health is taken as the authority to decide casinos don’t affect gamblers in Singapore? It does not matter if the number of gamblers who are addicts did not increase. That’s not the point. The point now is that gambling itself has increased and that is causing much more problems.

Mr Magnus’ talk is bull. It is akin to a situation where you say that the number alcoholics have not increased. But because alcohol now is made more available, these addicts are now drinking more and hence more drunken driving accidents are caused. So let’s not worry about it, because studies have shown that the number of alcoholics have not risen, never mind the number of those killed on the roads because of drunken driving has. Double-duh!

There is no denying that gambling related crimes has risen sharply ever since the casinos have opened in Singapore. But casinos bring in big $$$$$ for the companies and of course, the govt. That’s the real reason why the govt won’t bar Singaporeans from the casinos.

Gamblers and families of gamblers, you’re on your own. Don’t expect the govt to alleviate your self-inflicted gambling ills.

“Ask not what your country will do for you, because they will do nothing for you…” – famous quote from Anonymous.

>Govt just doesn’t know how to deal with the IR Issue

>So the govt has decided to stop the free shuttle services from the heartlands to the IRs. The concern is that it makes it “too convenient for heartlanders to go to the IRs to gamble”.

However, this knee jerk move has created other unintended results – as with all other knee jerk govt moves. The bus operators which have been hired by the IRs are now in a bind.

Both IRs cease shuttle services (Excerpt)

Back on Sentosa, two of the five bus operators contracted by RWS yesterday expressed shock at the sudden cessation of services. They explained that as bus routes took months to plan, they would find it difficult to redeploy their drivers and buses.

Mr Sebastian Yap, executive director of Transtar Travel, said: ‘This is very unfair to us. It’s too harsh to have a sudden change. I’m at a loss about what to do with my fleet now.’ His company invested about $2 million in the RWS shuttle operation, purchasing 13 new buses and hiring 36 Singaporean drivers.

Mr Yap said he would try to redeploy as many of the drivers as possible, but some would probably be let go.

Mr Neo Tiam Beng of Transit Network Consortium hired 25 new drivers, both foreign and local, to ply the routes. His company bought nine buses for the IR operation at $200,000 each.He said: ‘This is an IR, not just a casino. If we were ferrying people just to gamble, then as a Singaporean I will stop my service. But people are taking the bus with children, so how can they be gambling?’

He added that all the 25 drivers he hired would probably be retrenched.

The operators have a point about the children that it is obvious many of these patrons go there not just to gamble. Here is another solution that appears to be a compromise.

Raise levy, not stop free buses

Why deprive non-gambling patrons?
This won’t stop gamblers

ONE of the Government’s rationales for granting licences to the two gaming operators was that they would build integrated resorts where the majority of amenities and services would be non-gaming in nature.

For example, Resorts World Sentosa has the Universal Studios theme park, numerous shops and food outlets.

Aren’t the IRs multiple-service destinations? So why the hang-up about Singaporeans enjoying the free shuttle bus services?

It was reported that the majority of bus passengers surveyed were heading not to the casinos but the other amenities within, and even without, the IRs. The shuttle bus is an excellent customer service.

It seems illogical to contend that the prospect of saving a couple of dollars in bus fare would induce a significant number of people to patronise the casinos considering that a hefty $100 entry fee is still payable. If more gamblers do use the bus service, the pertinent question then is whether the entry levy is high enough. Gamblers intent on getting to the casino will do so, free shuttle bus or not.

Why then deprive the non-gambling majority of the transport privileges just because some think it is politically correct to “appease” public opinion? But who exactly is the prohibition of shuttle bus services appeasing? Surely not the IR customers or people enjoying the free rides to and from the city.

The authorities should not interfere with free enterprise efforts to enhance customer service. It is good news if more shopping malls, cinemas, clubs and restaurants start to provide similar complimentary services.

I REFER to “RWS withdraws heartland shuttle buses” (Sept 10). There are those who claim the free shuttle service will lure gamblers to the gaming tables. How naive.

The fact that Singaporeans are already paying $100 for a return trip to Genting is an example of how far gamblers will go. Do the authorities think that gamblers will not go to the casinos without the shuttle service?

If I were one, I would just take a taxi there. There would be no need to wait for the bus or to look for parking space.

The free shuttle not only brings business to the integrated resorts, it also caters to poorer families and reduces congestion at the Sentosa Gateway.

I agree that the better way is to increase the $100, because that levy doesn’t seem high enough to deter many Singaporean gamblers anyway. At the same time the non-gambling patrons, as well as the bus operators who will lose their businesses, are the ones affected, though it was unintended.

That appears to be the way the govt always operates. Knee jerk reactions to patch up a hole, only to open bigger holes elsewhere.

>Gambling is a Vice – Our New Casino Proves it

>We didn’t have to wait too long to prove that the much awaited Casino will bring about an increase in gambling related crimes. In fact, within just three days of the opening of Resorts World in Sentosa, we have recorded eight casino related crimes.

8 face casino-linked offences

EIGHT people have landed in trouble within the first three days of the Resorts World Sentosa casino opening.

Two Mongolians were arrested on Monday at the casino entrance at Resorts World Sentosa for cheating by impersonation.

The pair, aged 45 and 18, are released on police bail and investigations are ongoing. The younger Mongolian, who is studying in a private school here, had allegedly used the passport of the 45-year-old’s son to enter the casino as he is underage.

Meanwhile, five others, including Singaporeans and permanent residents, have been caught for trying to sneak into the casino without paying the $100 levy on Sunday – the first day the casino was opened to the public.

The day levy is $100 and the annual fee is $2,000.

Separately, an Indonesian gambler who claimed he lost all his money at the RWS casino, stole a mobile phone from an undergraduate at Changi Airport. Paulus Djohar, 49, unemployed, was jailed for four weeks on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to the charge.

Anyone wants to argue gambling is not a vice?