-- Singapore to bar about 15,000 more citizens and permanent
residents from its casinos
-- The move widens existing casino ban for "financially
vulnerable," including low-income and unemployed people
(Adds background on Singapore's gaming industry in 8th to 10th
paragraphs.)
By Chun Han Wong
SINGAPORE--Singapore will bar from its two casinos about 15,000
more citizens and permanent residents, including low-income and
unemployed people receiving state welfare aid, 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
support 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.
The move widens an existing state-imposed ban on 28,000 people
from entering 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 100 Singapore dollars a day and S$2,000
annually. Authorities also banned advertising targeting locals and
rolled out social programs to discourage heavy gambling.
Singapore's fledging gaming market has grown strongly since
Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands opened their casinos in
February 2010 and April 2010, respectively, generating about $6
billion in gross gaming revenue in 2011.
But that expansion is largely driven by foreign players--both
casinos have reported declining visits from Singapore citizens and
permanent residents.
Local visitors to Resorts World Sentosa's casino fell 32% in
2011 to 136,434 from 199,783 in 2010, while Marina Bay Sands
reported a 9% decline for the same period--137,259 locals visited
its casino in the whole of last year, compared to 150,691 in
2010.
Write to Chun Han Wong at chunhan.wong@dowjones.com