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The
Straits Times, 13 Mar 04
Why the casino rethink
By Tracy Quek
Industry players say huge revenue generated is too good to pass up
IF THE Government reverses its long-standing veto on casinos, economic
considerations will be the likely reason, said leisure industry veterans.
Trade and Industry Minister George Yeo gave the first hint last Friday,
when he said casinos may be allowed here. Plans to transform Sentosa
and the Southern Islands into an international playground for the
rich could include a casino, he told Parliament.
The potential revenue a casino could generate for the tourism and
service sectors here could explain why policymakers are changing their
minds about it, said tourism industry players. Mrs Jannie Tay, managing
director of watch retailer The Hour Glass, said a casino could reel
in the rich. 'A lot of the rich and famous - whether from Europe,
the US or around the region - like casinos... If Singapore has a classy
one, they will come.'
Mr Francis Phun, chairman of the Association of Singapore Attractions,
said that a decade or two ago, the main consideration was building
up and sustaining manufacturing. But now, services are seen as the
main creator of jobs. In Macau, for example, about 60 per cent of
the Macau government's revenue and 35 per cent of the territory's
gross domestic product are generated by casino taxes, which totalled
about HK$6 billion (S$1.3 billion) in 2001. Gross annual revenue of
Macau's casinos has ranged from HK$12 billion to HK$18 billion over
the past 10 years.
Sentosa Leisure Group's chief executive, Mr Darrell Metzger, said
another reason for the rethink could be that casinos have evolved
from the shady establishments of 20 years ago to ones that focus on
family fun. 'The casino will be just one of the many amenities people
and their families will enjoy,' he said.
Back in 1991, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong told reporters that as
long as he was PM, Singapore would have no casino here. But last Friday,
Brigadier-General (NS) Yeo pointed to the Atlantis resort on Paradise
Island in the Bahamas as an indication of what is possible. That has
been rated one of the best family resorts in the world, said Mr Metzger.
Community and family groups, while worried about the social implications
of a gambling hub here, were also mindful of the possible economic
returns. 'If it's only for tourists, we could accept it as a boost
to our economy,' Singapore Buddhist Lodge chairman Lee Bock Guan said
in Mandarin. Mr Patrick Chin, a church administrator and father of
three young children, said: 'Having a casino here is part of Singapore
opening up, you can't stop society from moving forward. Just like
bar-top dancing, five years ago, no one would have thought it would
be allowed here.'
But others remain staunchly opposed. 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
times, it's a lose-lose situation for the gambler and families.' |
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