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Channel NewsAsia, 17 Nov 04

Economic gains from casino may be exaggerated, says expert at forum

SINGAPORE: Economist Winston Koh, an associate professor from the Singapore Management University, says a top destination casino-resort can add at least one percent to two percent to Singapore's GDP.

Singaporeans wager over $6 billion annually - gambling on 4-D, horse-racing, Toto, soccer, slot machines and the Singapore Sweep. $2 billion is also lost every year to overseas casinos - as over 1,000 Singaporeans flock to cruise ships, Genting, Macau, Australia and even Las Vegas and London. Experts say if Singapore does decide to build its own casino-resort, it'll not only stem this 'leakage' to overseas casinos, but also rejuvenate the tourism industry and entertainment scene.

But one economist warns against exaggerating the economic benefits of the casino project. Sanjay Mathur, executive director of UBS AG, says there is also a risk of 'cannibalisation' of existing services at the expense of the hotel industry. Globally, stand-alone casinos in metropolitan areas suffer trade diversion - that is spending on casinos increases at the expense of spending on other entertainment activities. A casino may also offer cheap hotel accommodation and resort facilities so as to attract gamers to its gambling activities, leading to lower overall room rates at other hotels.

Experts also say that casinos rely heavily on the local population to stay viable - with only some exceptions like the Atlantic City resort in the Bahamas. One resort operator, Ronald Tan of 1 Worldhotels Limited, feels Singapore has the capability to build the world's first casino entry-screening system, by leveraging on its technological advances like biometric systems. He also suggests that the government compels the casino operator to commit 1% of its revenue to a fund that could benefit social causes, so that Singaporeans could enjoy the economic spin-offs of a casino.

The social sector, however, says that should Singapore go ahead with its casino project, it'll need to quickly train social workers to cope with the social impact. Currently, there're only about 1o to 15 counsellors trained in gambling addiction. The experts were speaking at a forum on the Singapore casino proposal. The forum was organised by the Institute of Policy Studies and attended by some 200 top brains. - CNA

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