Casino & Social Impact

Sad Stories

I just had coffee with a friend and I was surprised that he started to talk about "Social Problems" to me.

He said that the impact of the Casinos is starting to set in and it is getting worse. I was surprised that he would talk about this because he was never a critic of the Casinos which PAP has built.

He told me that one of his friend who was the brightest kid in his kampung and attended RI in his younger days, has fallen to Problem Gambling after he went to the two Casinos to gamble. He was the Head of Department of a Secondary School but lost his job due to problem gambling and heavily indebted to loan sharks. He fell into depression while his wife threatens to divorce him.

He also know of other cases of Singaporeans fallen prey to problem gambling, like successful businessman who eventually accumulated huge debts due to Problem Gambling.

I told him that he is part of the problem and "has blood in his hands". When PAP decided to build the two Casinos back in 2005, masqueraded them as "Integrated Resorts", he didn't oppose it.

I have put up strong opponent and objections to the Casinos way back then but all these fell on deaf years. PAP still won decisively in GE 2006 and eventually the two casinos went ahead.

I told him that ever since the Casinos were built, numerous families were broken up due to Problem Gambling. It is not merely those gamblers who will face the onslaught but their family members around them would also face the negativity of it.

PAP didn't dare to publish suicide rates and do analysis on the reasons of suicides in the past few years. The truth is, many of victims took their own lives due to Problem Gambling.

Of course, majority of Singaporeans, even when they have heard of these cases of Problem Gambling, have chosen to ignore the problems by brushing it aside as some "other people's problems" until the problems creep up to their doorstep.

Singaporeans have to get rid of their selfish mindset and take a more altruistic social approach in viewing issues like Casinos, police having too much power, building of nuclear plant, TPP and such. They should be more concerned about issues or policies which will affect the Nation and their society.

Else, there will be irreversible consequences which will not only affect them but their future generations.

Goh Meng Seng