Casinoes.

Casinos. What is a casino? According to the dictionary a casino is “a building or large room used for meetings, entertainment, dancing, etc., esp. such a place equipped with gambling devices, gambling tables, etc.”

So what is gambling? According to the dictionary gambling is “to stake or risk money, or anything of value, on the outcome of something involving chance.”

And that brings us to addictive gambling, which is, put simply, too much gambling.

According to world statistics, millions of people worldwide are addicted to gambling. Almost everyone shares the same story: It started out as some ‘basement poker’, then they started try and recur their losses, and they get sucked into a whirlpool of compulsive gambling.

“So basically, I was prowling the streets trying to survive.” – Johnny W, Ex – Gambling Addict

Gambling literally destroys lives. One ex-compulsive gambler, Johnny W, recounted his life during his gambling addiction. His gambling addiction had made him lose almost everything. He had tried to gamble in order to gain more funds during college. He, like many others, initially won some money, but also lost some money, and we would return the next day to try and recoup the losses, and he set on a path of no return. He became alien with his friends and family, divorced from his wife, and spent the days and nights prowling the streets searching for a living. Only when he was so deep in compulsive gambling that he couldn’t go any deeper, that he realised that he had a problem and contacted Gamblers Anonymous, which is an organisation specially created to help compulsive gamblers on their way to recovery. At that time, Johnny had already accumulated a few hundred thousand dollars worth of debts.

So, now that we know the destructive force of gambling addiction, let’s talk about casinos. There are thousands of casinos worldwide, and they are a major source of income for the gambling industry, partly due to the tens of millions of people and tourists who flock to casinos daily to play a few games and win some money, but more often losing money than winning money. Casinos are also breeding grounds for compulsive gamblers, often leading to disastrous results for the gamblers, but without nearly nonexistent impact on the entertainment industry itself; as soon as one person stops gambling, several more would take his place.

And now, Singapore, a country who has banned casinos since its foundation until recently, has decided upon building a casino, in an attempt, said the Government, to create much-needed jobs, and to encourage more tourists to come to Singapore, thus serving as a money maker. This actually shows how the Government is willing to bend some roads for monetary gain. I asked for the opinions on this matter from one of my primary school teachers, Mr. Jeremiah Liew, a very devoted Christian and he said, “I've been to a casino before, both when I was in Primary School (secretly ran into Genting Highlands for a short while, but was chased out later) and as an adult.
I think the casino is the government's way to help create jobs and boost our economy and tourism. Nonetheless, I think we need not resort to this method even though it's the fastest way to increase income for the land as the negative aspects of it leads much further than we think - it shows that the government is willing to bend some routes as long as it helps us to survive; it also brings forth issues such as "grooming" gamblers within our own backyard and other social issues that comes. Together with it and moreover, families are affected... and the children are badly affected.
For me, I won't rule out going to the casino. My reason is to see what goes on inside so I can pray and bless the place so that less people will go and gamble and they will find better avenues to earn money and find entertainment which are healthy and wholesome.”

In my opinion, gambling is a matter of morals. It is pretty simple. If you are feeling stressed and wish to take a break, there is no harm in playing a few games to relieve stress, hang out with friends, but the line must not be crossed. That line is the thin membrane that divides controlled gambling and compulsive gambling, just like the thin membrane that divides seawater from freshwater. Once that line is crossed, a series of disastrous events will definitely follow, and to turn your back on gambling is not an easy task; you need extreme willpower, and professional help. But what is it that causes people to cross that line? What is it that entraps innocent people in its hold, and cause them to become a compulsive gambler? Expert says this is due to the fact that you are controlling your own fate in your hands, and when you win, you get this sensation of ‘highness’ similar to consuming drugs. So, literally, gambling is simply a legal way of consuming drugs. Both cost a lot of money, both makes you feel ‘high’, and it is this desire of ‘highness’ that keeps people coming back for more, and when they do not feel ‘high’ anymore when they win, they raise the stakes, increasing the amount of money they invest in gambling. This is similar to people who bungee jump. The first time they bungee jump, they get this feeling of joyfulness, but they always have to move on to harder, more exciting locations for bungee jumping, due to their raving for this sensation.

In Singapore, measures have been put in place to prevent such occurrences locally. For example, family members now have the choice to call the NCPG, or the National Centre for Problem Gambling, to put a bar on their family members, thus preventing them for entering the casinos. In fact, my parents have already put a bar on me, although I see no need to do so – minors are not allowed in casinos anyway.

But are these measures enough? Many people in Singapore are still against the building of casinos in Singapore. They argue that what was the use of creating jobs to earn money, when people squander all the hard – earned money away? Many people have seen examples of what compulsive gambling can do to the community, and many people are afraid of this happening to them. In my opinion, I do not oppose the building of casinos, but I hope the Government impose new rules to gambling in casinos, such as the limit to the amount of money one can spend at casinos (although I’ve heard rumours that this rule has been imposed already), and set a minimum monthly income requirement for people visiting the casino, so that people with low incomes would not waste money in casinos, but put it to better use (although this might already be represented by the expensive entrance fee of the casino).

In any ways, casinos and either be a blessing or a curse. But for now, all we can do is wait and hope for the best.

This is a link to an Anti – Gambling Addiction Advertisement by the NCPG:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chbjc-XDKLw

It is really makes people think, to say the least. Just imagining if this were to be real life makes people fill with shock and horror and oppose gambling. So the Government is literally working against itself. This is what I think.

~Markie