This article is about the issue of whether setting up a casino is a wise choice for Singapore. I believe that setting up a casino in Singapore will not benefit the people of Singapore much. However, there are some benefits of setting up a casino. When the casino is completed, the world will gain more recognition as a first-world country, and there will be more tourists visiting Singapore because of the casino, and as there are more tourists, their expenditures will contribute to the economy of Singapore. However, there are many disadvantages of setting up a casino too.
I agree with the article's author that setting up the casino is not a wise choice because there will be people addicted to gambling, and eventually, they may become bankrupt and become a social and financial liability. Even though the government suggested ways to prevent people from becoming a social burden like not allowing lower-income citizens to enter the casino, but this "solution" will not work because Greed is a human nature, and even the high-income earners and gamble all their money away in the hope of winning. The government's next solution is to provide "treatment" and "education" to those susceptible to gambling, but they do not understand the agony of those next of kins of those hardcore gamblers.
In the short run, the government would gain a fortune from the people who gambles in the casino, and from the tourists' expenditure in Singapore, but in the long run, the economy of singapore will drop because there will be many cases of bankruptcy, and many people would be jobless, which will be a big impact on Singapore. Furthermore, when gamblers are almost bankrupt, they will try to recoup their losses by borrowing money from people both legally and illegally, and they will go back to the casino to "try their luck"again, and this is a vicious cycle as they will never repay their debts.
Thus, in conclusion, I urge the government to seriously consider the loss they and the people will suffer from the casino, and desist from a course of action that may well be the beginning of our undoing.
Chong Xin Yong (3B)
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Social Issue in Singapore (Casino)
Article:
The Straits Times, Forum Page 19 Mar 04
Government is right to try and save gamblers from themselves
Judging from the information provided in the article "Breaking the bank to woo Lady Luck" (The Sunday Times, Mar 14), the Government's decision to restrict punting in Singapore's casino - if it is built - to the rich, is a prudent one ("If your chips are down, you're out, ST, Mar 17)
While we should have a casino here for reasons symbolic (to indicate that Singapore is opening up) and economic (to provide revenue for the tourism and service industries), the social implications of having a casino also need to be considered.
A recent survey showed that one in five people doubt they can give up gambling, and most addicts can't or won't admit they are addicted. A counsellor said: "When (the gamblers) lose, they think "If I stop gambling, there'll be no reward". Hope of winning outweighs rationale and willpower."
In another article "Why the casino rethink" (The Sunday Times, Mar 14) Mr Edwin Choy, who co-founded the Centre for Fathering, said: "Families have been ruined because of the gambling casinos encourage. The majority of gamblers lose most of times, it's a lose-lose situtation for the gamblers and families."
Because society and rules evolve gradually, a sudden policy change without safeguards may be too much, too fast, simply because people underestimate - or are unaware - how addictive gambling can be.
Do Singaporeans have the discipline to stop? While I am sure most do, there are some who don't. So we presently still need government regulations to save gambling addicts - blinded by greed at the gambling table - from themselves. It is truly sad to see people borrowing money from banks just to gamble. Perhaps after getting used to a casino and the personal responsibility that it entails, there can be a gradual liberalisation of rules.
By considering building a casino, Singapore itself is taking a huge gamble. The stakes - the financial future of individuals and families - are indubitably high. So it is better to take things slowly, with the understanding that this is a gamble that we - as a small country with zero natural resources - simply cannot afford to lose.
Author: Benson Ang Weixiong
The Straits Times, Forum Page 19 Mar 04
Government is right to try and save gamblers from themselves
Judging from the information provided in the article "Breaking the bank to woo Lady Luck" (The Sunday Times, Mar 14), the Government's decision to restrict punting in Singapore's casino - if it is built - to the rich, is a prudent one ("If your chips are down, you're out, ST, Mar 17)
While we should have a casino here for reasons symbolic (to indicate that Singapore is opening up) and economic (to provide revenue for the tourism and service industries), the social implications of having a casino also need to be considered.
A recent survey showed that one in five people doubt they can give up gambling, and most addicts can't or won't admit they are addicted. A counsellor said: "When (the gamblers) lose, they think "If I stop gambling, there'll be no reward". Hope of winning outweighs rationale and willpower."
In another article "Why the casino rethink" (The Sunday Times, Mar 14) Mr Edwin Choy, who co-founded the Centre for Fathering, said: "Families have been ruined because of the gambling casinos encourage. The majority of gamblers lose most of times, it's a lose-lose situtation for the gamblers and families."
Because society and rules evolve gradually, a sudden policy change without safeguards may be too much, too fast, simply because people underestimate - or are unaware - how addictive gambling can be.
Do Singaporeans have the discipline to stop? While I am sure most do, there are some who don't. So we presently still need government regulations to save gambling addicts - blinded by greed at the gambling table - from themselves. It is truly sad to see people borrowing money from banks just to gamble. Perhaps after getting used to a casino and the personal responsibility that it entails, there can be a gradual liberalisation of rules.
By considering building a casino, Singapore itself is taking a huge gamble. The stakes - the financial future of individuals and families - are indubitably high. So it is better to take things slowly, with the understanding that this is a gamble that we - as a small country with zero natural resources - simply cannot afford to lose.
Author: Benson Ang Weixiong
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