As of May 10, the two casino operators had collected about $70 million in entry levies.
Revealing this yesterday, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan said it would be "premature to draw conclusions" from such data on casino patronage and its "attendant social impact", as it was still early days yet in their operations.
All the levies go to the Singapore Totalisator Board to fund projects that benefit the community, Dr Balakrishnan added, in a written response to a query from Nominated MP Terry Lee.
MCYS will ensure enough resources are dedicated to tackle the issue of problem gambling.
In response to MediaCorp's queries, the National Council on Problem Gambling said it has been actively engaging Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) to put in place social safeguards.
The council cited some of the measures taken, describing these as "work in progress".
- Responsible gambling brochures: Available in both casinos
- Council's helpline card: Placed in restrooms and brochure distribution points, at both casinos
- Voluntary loss limit: At RWS, patrons can request use of voluntary loss limit room to lock their valuables in security boxes that can only be opened with the casino staff's assistance. At MBS, patrons can request to set a limit on their betting account that cannot be changed for 24 hours.
- On-site intervention: At RWS, available on Saturday afternoons. None at MBS.
- Responsible gambling training: At RWS, provided to all casino staff. At MBS, given to all staff.
- Responsible gambling messages: Shown on all jackpot digital machine screens, plus side-screens on table games or standing digital displays.
When countries have to resort to casinos to keep tourism and GDP figures up , its sad
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