Why we need casinos

This blog is in response to the article “Don't slay the goose that lays golden eggs”. In it the author mentions a casino will cause the degradation of the national psyche” by promoting gambling over hard work and that having a casino will not give Singapore anything special since other countries have it. However, I disagree.

It is precisely because other countries have casinos so we should build one to keep up. Singapore needs tourists to come since it has too small a population to sustain its economy. Singapore also does not have many natural tourist destinations and is so small that the casual tourist can visit all the attractions very quickly. Thus, a casino is needed to ensure we do not lose tourists and that they stay longer.

Also, this should not be blown out of proportion. The casino is only a part of the integrated resort. Next, Singapore already has legalised betting and lottery such as 4D. There are even game rooms in certain clubs. Singaporeans already have gambling outlets, any “degradation of the national psyche” will already have occurred. If you have gone to a Chinese New Year reunion, you will likely see some relatives playing mahjong, which is a form of gambling. Yet those gamblers are not necessarily problem gamblers right? Let me relate an example from my own family. Every Chinese New Year, all my father’s family gathers in his hometown to celebrate. This is accompanied by long mahjong sprees. Most of my relatives will play, especially my aunts who can gamble for the whole night. Yet none of them are gambling addicts. They may lose at most a hundred ringgit but they will not go bankrupt. My father as mentioned above, does gamble but he is very firm and draws the line at ‘internal gambling’ i.e. the money stays within the family.

In addition, restrictions against middle and high-income Singaporeans are pointless considering they can afford to simply drive up to Genting and gamble there. Since they will gamble anyway, they might as well gamble in Singapore, where the money they lose can benefit the economy. In addition, family members can ban problem gamblers to ensure they do not spend beyond their means.

In addition, there have been commercials warning of the dangers of gambling (the man trying to get his daughter’s piggy bank). Also, the media can simply not run stories on big winners. There is after all, no compulsion for them to do so.

Lastly, a ‘degradation of the national psyche’ should not be combated by removing all the possible threats to it. It should be countered by proper education and counseling. People should learn self-control, be taught how to manage their finances and know how much money they can afford to spend on gambling.

Thus, a casino should be built to attract tourists, because it will not change things significantly and there are already safegurards.