Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Casino in Singapore. Boon or bane? @ 8:45 PM
I know I haven't posted for a long long time, but that was because my schedule was crammed with tests this week. So now I have managed to squeeze out some of my precious time, just to write for those avid blog readers out there :D
Yup so until now, the IR in Singapore has opened its doors to the public for about a week or so. And the main catch of the IR - the casino. Many people have welcomed the plan of the building of a new casino in Singapore, but others aren't. Let us first look at both sides of the situation. Singapore's 40-year old ban on casino was lifted in 2007 in view of the new casinos being built in Marina Bay. Initially, it raised a hue and cry from conservative Singaporeans, including the mainstream religions. Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong explained that Singapore could no longer afford to maintain his father's ban on casino gambling because its tourism industry was facing a serious slowdown, citing falling statistics of tourism revenue. Furthermore, other neighborhood countries like Malaysia and Thailand are likely to get in on the action too. He emphasized the need to change or risk being left behind. "We cannot stand still. The whole region is on the move. If we don't change, where will we be in 20 years?"
He also argued that the two casinos would be a boon to Singapore, doubling the number of tourists here to 17 million, increase tourism revenue three-fold and create nearly 100,000 direct and indirect jobs. Finally, he assured the public that the government would shelve the idea should it prove too dangerous.On the other hand, Singaporeans are worried that casinos in Singapore would make them more susceptible to the temptations of gambling and eventually, addiction. However, the problem is that there are absolutely no statistics for Singapore as of yet to form a conclusive case. Furthermore, according to the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) more than 83 percent of Singaporeans are willing to have the casino built here.
Personally, I support the construction of the casino. I feel that a casino in Singapore will be a major boost to our economy. Take Las vegas for an example. They have managed to have a good economy through their tourism industry, where people flock there to go to their casinos to gamble. I can understand that one major concern of Singaporeans is that they might be addicted to gambling, as a casino is right at their doorstep. However, we must remember that if we have the heart and determination to not gamble, we will not become addicted to it.
The Singapore government has already taken measures for this. They have decided to let people to sign a form, prohibiting themselves from entering the casino. There will also be a namelist of those who are avid gamblers and cannot be allowed into the casino.
Finally, I fell that a casino in Singapore is a boon. Firstly, Singapore has already established itself as an fast growing city in the world. To attract more visitors to our homeland, Singapore have to think of ways to boost the tourism sector. And this also includes removing some bans like what Singapore did to build a Casino here. With a casino, more people in the asian countries might come to Singapore to gamble and thus boost our economy. Also, tourists who come to Singapore will not only have sentosa, the bird park, botanical gardens to go to. With the casino, the tourists will have one more place of visit and they will probably lengthen their stay just to go to the casino here.
In conclusion, I feel that the casino will be a major boost to Singapore's industry and will add a sparkle to our mundane lives.