On this Floating Casino, Grandma Gambles Her Life Away

It is 7.30am - a time when you'd expect housewives to be at the market and retirees at the neighbourhood kopitiam.But there's a flurry of activity at the Singapore Cruise Centre, located at the. The Marina Bay Sands (abbreviation: MBS) is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay within the Downtown Core district of Singapore.At its opening in 2010, it was billed as the world's most expensive standalone casino property at S$8 billion (US$6.88 billion), including the land cost.

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Photography by the author.

“I will leave when I win $500. I’m still $300 short,” Mr Lim tells me as he puts down a $50 chip on the banker to win this round of baccarat.

The cards are dealt, and unfortunately for the player in his 60s, the value of the player’s cards is higher than the banker’s. The $50 chip is swiftly swept into the dealer’s chip tray.

“So now you are $350 short,” I tell Mr Lim, having observed the game standing behind him.

He shrugs.

“It’s like that. That’s why you have to keep playing then you can win.” In the next 15 minutes, he recoups $25.

I leave the table shortly after without knowing if Mr Lim would go on to meet his personal targets for the day. I wonder if he will stay overnight if the bad streak continues.

We are at the casino onboard the Aegean Paradise, a cruise ship that is stationed in international waters off Batam. It is obvious that I stand out among the passengers.

The casino deck is a sea of grey and silver, with about two-thirds of the people here aged 55 and above, including a number of married couples.

Elderly women are typically dressed in blouses with floral prints and carry small sling bags which presumably contain their cash; the men in polo T-shirts, trousers and sandals.

I count only two other gamblers who look my age.

In the embarkation queue, an old man asks if I’m new on the ship as he hasn’t seen me before.

The floating casino, with over 50 tables offering games such as baccarat, blackjack, roulette and sic-bo, is a popular destination for many Singaporean retirees and elderly.

Because of the off-putting $100 entrance levy fee at the casinos at the two integrated resorts (IRs), many are driven to gamble here instead. Paying the fee is already incurring a loss before even stepping foot inside.

A round-trip by ferry to the ship, with meals and drinks provided for, costs $45. Senior citizens even enjoy special concession rates of just $25 on the evening ferry.

Clearly the appeal of Aegean Paradise is geared towards elderly gamblers like Mr Lim looking for a day’s fun and hoping to strike riches.

Most are regulars who have been frequenting the ship’s predecessor, MV Leisure World, which had operated off Singapore since 2000 and was the only one of three casino ships to remain afloat after the opening of the IRs.

Yet many of these gamblers do not think they are addicts.

Most whom I spoke to made the one-hour ferry trip because they want to escape their monotonous lives on the mainland but do not want to take a long coach ride to Genting or Kuala Lumpur.

Gambling here is simply part of the short getaway – if they manage to win some money, then all the better.

They also shrug off my concerns about throwing their savings away in a day.

“Our lives are so short. We also cannot spend all the money if we keep it at home, might as well come here and try our luck and have some fun,” says Madam Chen, a 68-year-old retiree.

According to a 2014 survey done by the National Council on Problem Gambling, the percentage of probable pathological gamblers aged 50 and above had fallen from two per cent in 2011 to 0.5 per cent that year.

Despite the perceived decrease in elderly problem gamblers, the risk is still high in an ageing population. Furthermore, this group of gamblers isless likely to seek help for their addiction because of a lack of awareness of assistance available, or they might be ashamed to do so, says Mythily Subramaniam of the Institute of Mental Health.

The casino is already packed and bustling with activity when I arrive at five minutes past 11 in the morning. The baccarat and roulette tables are mostly crowded with old folks – perhaps because betting is simple and straightforward, unlike the more complicated games of chance such as poker and blackjack.

A minimum bet at the roulette table is $2, which easily draws in the punters.

Chips of different colours and varying stacks are placed on the number board in a flurry, either on a single number or between numbers. Once in a while, players look at the display of previous winning numbers and pause – as though there were a pattern to be discerned – before making another bet.

It is a scene that resembles the start of a game of Risk, when players place their troops all over the game board. In this case, while these gamblers think they are positioning their chips strategically, in reality it is all an elaborate display of hopefulness.

The odds, no matter how hard they try, are never in their favour.

I ask an old lady beside me why she had bet on no less than 15 numbers and combinations.

“Of course must bet a lot lah! How to win big if you only bet on one number or colour?” she replies nonchalantly, as though I had asked a stupid question.

“No more bets!” the croupier calls after spinning the ball in the wheel. There is a momentary silence, as the gamblers pray that the winning number will be theirs.

After multiple bounces, the ball rests on 35, black. There are a few groans and cusses as the croupier sweeps away all the lost bets. I hazard an estimate of almost $500 wiped out in an instant.

The old lady cheers and turns to me, “See?” She was one of two players who won that round, never mind that she had lost her other 14 bets, some of them considerably larger than this winning one.

All that mattered was that she had won some chips from the croupier.

Over at the jackpot room, the atmosphere is much more subdued.

Old folks sit with their eyes glued to the vibrant displays with four fingers robotically tapping on the spin button, like part of a production line in a dystopian world.

They pay no heed to their dwindling cash deposits. The credits may run out, but luck doesn’t, and they instinctively insert another $50 note into the machine when they hit the limit.

No one speaks, and the only sound here is the music from the 50-odd machines that lulls players into a dreamlike sense of hope. Periodically, a public service announcement trumpets the success of a passenger who just won $32,000 from the jackpot machine, encouraging others to keep trying their luck.

Most passengers take the last ferry out at 8.30pm in order to maximise their time at the casino. The last group of passengers arrive at 10pm.

Surprisingly, however, not all of them are here to gamble.

“I’m just here to accompany my friends,” says Mr Ng, a part-time taxi driver in his 60s.

When I ask him why he is not at the gaming tables, he says he quit gambling after a scarring experience when he lost $10,000 in Genting many years ago.

“Gambling is bad,” he reiterates and shows me his HomeTeamNS Passion Card. “Sometimes I go to the HomeTeamNS club at Balestier and I see people my age and older spending the day in front of the jackpot machine. It’s very sad, and some more with the card they get free entry.”

What brings him to a gambling ship then?

Surprise, surprise, he has nothing to do at home and just wants to relax, though he doesn’t explain why he has chosen such a late time to come.

It is also an odd choice of place to unwind, considering that there’s not much else to do on this ship, save for a karaoke room. Maybe he just loves the sea and the smell of cigarette smoke.

At 1am, I find myself watching a game of pontoon, a variation of blackjack.

A woman who looks to be in her 60s is bleeding chips, but she is not giving up.

Her betting pattern remains consistently one-dimensional: a $20 bet on her cards and an additional $5 on getting a pair which would pay 10 to one. I’m confused by how she thinks she can even recoup her losses at this rate.

Her chips continue to be swiped away by the dealer, and I’m almost certain she would be forced to leave the table.

She rubs her tired eyes, and struggles to put her chips properly on the betting table. At times, she even reads the number on her cards wrongly.

As luck would have it, she is dealt a king pair and thus, another lifeline. She keeps going, but only barely. Within an hour, she loses another $200, and still there is no variation to her play.

Each time she exceeds 21, she points at the guilty card and curses, as though its existence were a crime.

I soon realise that she’s simply betting on the probability of striking a bountiful winning streak, not the odds of beating the dealer, and it’s painful to watch her cling on to false hope.

A waiter comes to her side and clears her ash tray. She passes him a $20 chip, one of her last few, which he graciously accepts. A little deed of generosity to be repaid with good fortune, perhaps?

Unfortunately, there is no such promise.

At 6.15am, I board the first shuttle ferry back to the island and am joined by the old lady from the pontoon table, who now looks dishevelled in clothes that are at least two-days-old. She drops into a row of seats and immediately dozes off.

There are plenty of gamblers still aboard the Aegean Paradise as we depart for Singapore. Home may be a dull and lonely place to these elderly, but on the third deck of the cruise liner, it is a decaying paradise that promises fortunes.

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Just thought I would share this article here... I think this is well written!

http://www.tremeritus.com/2012/10/29/casinos-are-the-bane-of-singapore/

In2005, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the cabinet’sdecision to build not one but two “integrated resorts”. Thisdecision was met with widespread criticism from the public andreligious groups. However, PM Lee stated that “As Prime Minister, Icarry the ultimate responsibility for the decision”.

5years later, the casinos were open. Initially, busloads of peoplevisited the casinos, most of them foreigners.

WhenI visited the casinos recently, I discovered that 80% of the cars inthe Resorts World Sentosa car park were Singapore registeredvehicles. Oneof the main objectives of the casinos was to boost tourism as well ascreate new jobs for Singaporeans.

However,I also noticed that most of the staff employed at the casinos,restaurants, hotels and theme park were foreigners. Therefore, the casinos did not really create much jobs forSingaporeans. What percentage of the staff at the integrated resortsare actually Singaporeans? What’s more, the higher level jobs suchas Pit Bosses are usually foreigners.

Iam a young working adult and even on a personal level, the casinoshave affected me greatly. My parents are compulsive gamblers who havepurchased the annual levy every year since they opened. And I rarelyget to see them any more, as they visit the casinos as many as six toseven times in a week. They neglect their jobs and are onlyinterested in gambling. I have tried to counsel them but they werevery stubborn and unrelenting. To date, they have each lost more than50,000 dollars at the casinos.

Istrongly feel that there needs to be more safeguards to limit thedamage caused by the casinos operating in Singapore. The currentmeasures put in place are grossly inadequate. For example, thegovernment should limit the number of times that Singaporeans canvisit the casinos to for example, eight times per month. The reasonfor this is that there are people who are going to the casinos almostevery day and neglecting the families and work. These need to be putin place as soon as possible, before it is too late.

Theday levy of 100 dollars is also counter productive. As a result oftrying to recoup the fee, gamblers would bet bigger amounts. It alsocreates an unfair environment for Singaporeans, as foreigners are notsubjected to this entry fee. As a result of the day levy being 24hours, Singaporeans would purchase the levy after work, gamble tillmidnight, skip work the next day just to utilise the full 24 hours.

Secondly,the government has not been very transparent about the negativeimpact of the casinos in Singapore. Based on some investigation andinsider information from staff, there have been a number of suicidesrelated to the casinos that were unreported. For Singaporeans whomight be considering staying in the resort hotels, do bear in mindthat some of the rooms are not “clean”. During a stay at one ofthe hotels at one of the casinos, we could hear knocking sounds inthe walls throughout the night. Besides these, there have been asudden increase in suicides in Singapore this year, such as drowningsat Bedok Reservoir, MRT tracks and jumping cases. I wonder how manyof them are possibly gambling related…

Therehave also been multiple stories of families that were ruined bybreakups, suicides or bankruptcy that were not reported in themainstream media. The internet can provide some clues. Although thecasinos did not force anyone to enter and gamble, by making it soeasily accessible to Singaporeans, it basically tempts people to goin and try their luck. The newspapers only report the news of onlySingaporeans such as the hawker who won 400k at MBS. This only servesto make people think that it is easy to make money at the casinos.However, I know of rich people who have lost millions at the casinosin a week as well as middle class people who have lost their lifesavings gambling, and had to sell their homes just to feed theirfamily.

Yes,although there are a few lucky ones who have won, but overall, 8 outof 10 people have lost money there. In 2011, the revenue of MBS andRWS was 2.3 billion and 2.6 billion respectively. Note that this isnot revenue for Singapore. In the casino, I overheard a conversationbetween two elderly women in Hokkien that one of their relatives wasaddicted to gambling. They borrowed money from both loan sharks andlicensed moneylenders. Being unable to pay their mounting debts, theparents “ran road” and left their children behind to fend forthemselves. I hope this story isn’t true as I really pity the poorchildren.

Oneday on the way to work, while taking the train on the circle line, Ioverheard two Singaporean uncles chatting:
(Sic)

“Today,I feeling lucky. I think today sure win big”

“Yousure? How come?”

“Lastnight I dreamt that I win a lot of money.”

“Wah.Win already treat me dinner ah.”

“Okno problem, if I win big, abalone and sharks fin also can!”

Ihope he had enough money to return home. More safeguards are neededto protect Singaporean families from the vice of casino gambling.

A)Limiting the number of visits by Singaporeans to a maximum of eighttimes a month. In order to visit the casinos beyond that limit, theyhave to submit proof of their financial stability to the regulatoryauthority for approval.

B)Implementing closing hours for the casino (between 4am to 6 am) sothat people would not gamble non-stop for days on end withoutsleeping and fainting in the casino.

C)Reduce the levy from 100 dollars for 24 hours to 100 dollars for 12hours. This is because the 24 hours hour levy encourages people tostay longer at the casinos and as a result, lose more money.

D) Scrap the annual levy at the casinos. The annual levy actuallyencourages Singaporeans to visit the casinos very often as they canenter whenever they like. Each time Singaporeans visit the casinos,they should have to pay the entry levy.

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E)The current proposed safeguards only serve to protect those who areclearly at risk, such as undischarged bankrupts or those on financialaid. However, those people who are earning a low salary below 1500dollars have little money to spare, and probably no savings.Therefore, only people who have a certain level of income should beallowed to visit the casinos more than a certain number of times permonth.

F)Better management of crime related activities at the casinos. My malefriends as well as myself have witnessed multiple instance as well asbeen approached by foreign women offering “special services”.

G)There are also other forms of vice there, such as stealing otherpeople’s chips, mobile phones, handbags, fraud and claiming otherpeople’s winnings.

H)Poor security measures at the casinos. There have been people whoused other people’s identity cards to enter the casino.

I)Allow family members, relatives, employers to have greater ability toapply for exclusion for someone that they know that is at a risk forgambling. For example, currently, children of problem gamblers findit hard to apply for exclusion for their parents as their parentswould warn them not to.

J)Parents leave their children waiting outside the casino with nothingto do. I saw children sitting down on the floor outside the casinoslooking bored. Two hours later, they were still there.

K)The casinos’ impact on Singaporeans’ lives needs to be betterstudied.

L)The government should release the employment figures of the ratio ofSingaporeans and PRs employed versus the foreigners.

M)Overall, I feel that the casinos and integrated resorts have broughtmore disadvantages than advantages for Singapore.

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Problemssuch as proxy gambling have also cropped up. Employers send theirforeign workers to the casinos to gamble on their behalf. Theseforeign workers are being exploited by their unscrupulous employerswho even dock their salary when they lose money. The government needsto acknowledge that there have been shortcomings on their part andnot claim that things are “well managed” and “under control”.

List Of Casinos In Singapore

Nowadays,instead of spending time with their families, religious places orsports, gambling is becoming the new national pastime of many adultSingaporeans. Is Singapore becoming a SIN city? Should the casinos beshut down for good? I think that as a government, you cannot onlylook at GDP and ignore the social problems. Otherwise, you would beoperating as a profit oriented company, Singapore Private Limited.

Singapore Casino Boat On Top Of Building

Thethree buildings of MBS were said to be inspired by card decks.However, to me, they may very well represent three tombstones forSingapore if they are not managed appropriately. And the boat? Ithink it represents Singaporeans’ hard earned money being shippedaway. I can only hope for the best for Singapore.