SINGAPORE--Singapore will bar about 15,000 more citizens and
permanent residents, including low-income and unemployed people,
from entering its two casinos as part of efforts to contain the
social impact of casino gambling in the city-state.
Starting July 1, about 12,000 residents--including the
unemployed--who are receiving short- to medium-term financial aid
from the government will be barred from the casinos, the Ministry
of Community Development, Youth and Sports said late Thursday in a
statement.
The government will also bar, starting Aug. 1, about 3,000
public-housing tenants who are in arrears of six or more months on
their subsidized rental payments, the ministry added.
"We want to protect the financially vulnerable who can ill
afford casino gambling," acting Minister for Community Development,
Youth and Sports Chan Chun Sing said in the statement, citing a
2011 official survey that showed an increasing proportion of
low-income gamblers in Singapore playing with large sums.
These new casino exclusions add to the 28,000 people already
barred on government orders from Singapore's casinos--Genting
Singapore PLC's (G13.SG) Resorts World Sentosa and Las Vegas Sands
Corp.'s (LVS) Marina Bay Sands.
Residents currently barred on government orders include those
who have declared bankruptcy and people receiving long-term
government financial aid.
Singapore dropped a longstanding ban on casino gambling in 2005,
paving the way for its first licensed casino resorts to open in
early 2010 as the island state sought to spice up its reputation as
a travel destination and reap more tourism dollars.
Critics had opposed the casinos, fearing a rise in social
problems like organized crime and gambling addiction. To contain
the impact, the government imposed casino entry levies on citizens
and permanent residents of S$100 a day and S$2,000 annually.
Authorities also banned advertising targeting locals and rolled out
social programs to discourage heavy gambling.
Write to Chun Han Wong at chunhan.wong@dowjones.com
