Gambler's Thread 01 (May 08 - Nov 10)

[kennynah]

i like your optimism....and you probably dont visit casinos often enough to see the chronic gamblers' behaviour and characteristics...

[millionairemind]

No la I don't think things will degenerate to that extent. Probably just more bankruptcies and people getting into financial trouble, that's all......

Give it a couple more years... you will be surprised how just having a Casino in our own backyard can do to a country. Here's an article that you might be interested to read about.

Social impact of gambling

A great deal has been written about the social impact of casino gambling on communities and families. First, some studies reveal that divorce rates among casino gamblers tend to be higher than for the rest of the population. Second, studies argue that there is a link between the rate of compulsive gambling and child neglect. Third, high rates of compulsive gambling have been associated with the prevalence of casinos in some communities, which in turn is linked to higher rates of family violence. Fourth, suicide rates are said to increase with the introduction of gambling. Fifth, casino gambling has been often linked to increased crime rates. Sixth, higher rates of gambling have been linked with poorer communities in the US and Australia. Poorer people are more likely to view gambling as a means of earning money, compared to well-off people who view it as a social activity. Seventh, casino gambling has been linked to a rise in adolescent gambling and an increase in pathological gambling.

Some critics of casino gambling suggest that the presence of casinos represents a "slippery slope" for social decay. That is, the presence of casinos, even in specific locations, away from vulnerable populations, may make it more acceptable for people to engage in other forms of gambling, ultimately leading to the substitution of gambling for productive work. The result of this could be more intense social problems for the society.

Gambling and sex

A prevalent theme which recurs in critiques of places like Las Vegas is the presence of a large and thriving sex industry. Sex is often seen as a means to attract gamblers, especially young men. This is especially true of Internet gambling which is becoming popular among youth. Research points out that "gambling disorders which tend to socially isolate at-risk youth may interfere with the development of real-life relationships that can have a protective effect on youth." Additionally, the introduction of casinos to communities tends to be accompanied by increases in sex work and sex-related activities.

According to one researcher, using sex to sell gambling often leads to the degradation of women and often "obscures the hard reality of gambling and makes risky behaviour attractive to a vulnerable segment of the population" .

Crime and casinos

Studies of the impact of casinos on crime have come up with contradictory findings. One study shows that in the post-casino years while some crimes increased (e.g. burglary, robbery and larceny), others decreased (murder, rape, aggravated assault and motor vehicle theft). While it is clear that casinos may be associated with increased crime in some jurisdictions, its link is at best tenuous in others. This leads to the conclusion that crime is likely to increase with the introduction of casinos only under certain conditions. Factors such as the locations and size of the casino, the type of community, the size of the at-risk population and the nature of the effectiveness of laws and law enforcement, all affect the relationship between crime and casino gambling.
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/ ... sure2.html

[kennynah]

6 year olds will also know the overall negative outcomes of having casinos in our backyard.... only a section of singaporeans can be hoodwinked by gahmen to believe that operating casinos can be good for the country....

[Blackjack]

I think its a matter of time before they remove the $100 entrance fee??

[kennynah]

the levy is imposed by the singapore gahmen....if left to the casinos, they maybe toss out freebies to attract customers... the gahmen opened these casinos for the purpose of making money...thru entrance fees, casino taxations, etc....
i doubt this $100 will be removed...but if casinos cant get enuf players, they may market their services in some novel way.... strippers, free rooms, free meals, dead chips, etc...

[Blackjack]

Yes I agree if left to the devices of the casino operators this will be removed at any time, or maybe even offer $100 "free" credit in return... Just like EZ link card charging $5(?) deposit card charge and then subsequently offering "free" $5 credit when they rolled out the netsflash card. So people will say "oh, I get FREE credit!"

Just like the placement of atms, isn't it meant to be out of sight out of mind, for patrons to "cool down"? Apparently this is also not the case, still the same, just playing around the rules...

[millionairemind]

More and more cases will surface....

Mar 3, 2010
Second casino fraud case
By Khushwant Singh
Lau, who is out on $5,000 bail, is said to have committed the offence at about 11pm on Feb 16 - two days after the casino opened on Chinese New Year. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

THE second person taken to court on Wednesday for a casino-related offence at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) was accused of claiming $630 belonging to another gambler.

Alice Lau Qian Xiu, 46, an assistant accountant, is alleged to have misappropriated a 'cashout ticket' bearing that amount in credit from 32-year-old sales executive Soh Wee Chen. (correct)

Lau, who is out on $5,000 bail, is said to have committed the offence at about 11pm on Feb 16 - two days after the casino opened on Chinese New Year. She will appear in court again on March 31. If convicted, she could be jailed up to two years and/or fined up to $10,000.

Her case comes a week after taxi driver Loo Siew Wan was charged with allegedly trying to cheat the casino on Feb 22. The 53-year-old had a placed a bet of two $100 chips on the 'banker' after the result of the game had been declared. He hoped to fool the dealer into believing that he had a winning bet.

The cabby, who is prohibited from entering the casino under an exclusion order, is also accused of stealing his elder brother's Singapore driving licence on Feb 21 and impersonating his brother to get in to gamble the next day.

Meanwhile, two Mongolians are out on police bail for cheating by impersonation, and investigation into five people for trying to sneak into the casino on opening day without each paying the $100 levy is ongoing.

[millionairemind]

Mar 12, 2010
Charged with cash chips theft
By Elena Chong
AN UNEMPLOYED man was charged on Friday with stealing 10 pieces of 500 cash chips amounting to $5,000 from Resorts World Sentosa.

Ooi Boon Huat, 56, is alleged to have stolen the chips at the casino at about 12.10pm on Wednesday.

The case is believed to be the second investigated by the Casino Crime Investigation Branch of Criminal Investigation Department to be brought to court.

Ooi has earlier been accused of two unrelated charges of drug taking and possession of offensive weapon.

A pre-trial conference has been fixed on March 30.

If convicted of theft, he can be jailed for up to three years or fined or jailed and fined.

[kennynah]

open up a whorehouse and expect gentlemen to sip tea in the premise? of cos, casinos will and can only breed criminal activities...

[LenaHuat]

It's no more than just legalized gambling. I think having all those Toto/S'pore Pools booths in the heartlands is worse than one or centralized whorehse.