Channel NewsAsia , 19 Apr 04

Decision on Singapore casino in 6-9 months
by Hwee Goh

The Government will decide on whether to allow a casino to open in Singapore in the next six to nine months. But first, there would be detailed discussions on how it will impact Singapore society.

The Government has been talking to Singaporeans who patronise casinos, but it has not talk to any casino operators yet.

Till now the Government has resisted the attraction of casinos, but the tourism landscape is changing. Billions of dollars has poured into Macau, turning it into the Las Vegas of the East. While Singapore has no such aspirations, the island is so "middle of the road" it is in danger of being "bypassed" by tourists. So the island's determined to cater to all sorts of tourists - from those who fly budget carriers and stay in two-star hotels to the well-heeled, high rollers.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister of State for Trade and Industry, said: "There are other types of tourists who have in a sense money to burn or money to lose, and if they are going to lose that money and they are going to lose it our way and in that way create jobs and help strengthen our economy, then this is something that we should not as a reflex, ignore. If we do so, we do so at our loss."

To address the social fallout, the Government will restrict access by Singaporeans. In other countries, casinos are only open to rich locals and foreigners. Several MPs, who are already questioning the merits of allowing a casino to open in Singapore, are equally worried that discriminating against Singaporeans will create another set of problems.

Ms Irene Ng, MP for Tampines GRC, said: "It will have an impact on Singaporeans as there will be a class consiousness created as you are creating a playground for the rich."

Mr S. Iswaran, MP for West Coast GRC, said: "That has arouse a lot of passion in several groups of Singaporeans, it is the principle not the effect."

Dr Vivian added: "Let us go into this with our eyes wide open, be very clear of objectives and be very clear of the dangers and being very clear that there are some practical measures we have to take. "This is not a time to indulge in creating or highlighting class consciousness or looking for social disparities or creating cleavages in our population. "I think if we adopt this in our uniquely Singaporean manner, of being pragmatic, realistic and sensible about it, we may be able to fashion a win-win solution although this is not typical of gambling!"

But some are still not convinced. Ms Ng added: "Singaporeans will have to go to casinos to work in these jobs - croupiers, blackjack dealers and showgirls and what not - and therefore there will be social implications no matter how hard we insulate and therefore I would urge the minister to kindly consider this very carefully."