Paying
Gamblers To Go On Board Cruise Ship Casino
The Sunday Times
28 Jan 2007
It's Free and Easy For Ship Gamblers
But social wokers fear that the elderly may be sucked deeper into
gambling trap by ships' tactics.
It is 7.45pm on a Wednesday evening. A mixed crowd made up of
couples in their 30s, retirees, housewives and grannies turn up in
taxis at an otherwise deserted Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, just in
time to hop into the last ferry to Batam.
Their destination is Leisure World, a casino ship anchored in
international waters off the coast of Batam, where they will forgo
sleep for the chance to win a fortune at the jackpot machines and
gaming tables.
There, they gamble right through to the next morning, when they
take the first ferry back home at 6.15am.
In a bid to lure more gamblers to the ship last November, its
operator, New Century Cruise Lines, lowered the fare of the last
ferry ride on off-peak days (Sunday to Thursday) from $42 to
$12.
Depending on how much money
punters change on the ship, they can even get a rebate of up to $40
worth of chips to help subsidise the cost of the ferry ticket.
Buffet meals are also provided free of
charge.
Two other casino ships, Lucky Star and Omar III, which offer
day/night cruises, are offering similar incentives.
In fact, the rebate can sometimes
exceed the cost of the ferry tickets, which means the casinos are
effectively paying the gamblers to gamble.
Lawyer Amolat Singh said: "Paying people to go on board is
basically a sales tactic, like shopping centres giving out money
vouchers to shoppers. Legally, there's nothing wrong."
But social workers The Sunday Times spoke to were concerned about
these marketing tactics.
"It is very dangerous," said Mr Jonathan Siew, a senior counsellor
at the Care Corner Counselling Centre. "The elderly gamblers are
the least likely to get help, especially since their children are
usually there to give them more money to feed their
addiction."
They are also highly susceptible to falling for such cheap deals
and are easily sucked deeper into the gambling trap, he
added.
In the 2005 Gambling Prevalence Survey conducted by the Ministry of
Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), 58 per cent of all
Singaporeans said they have participated in at least one form of
gambling activity in the past 12 months.
Only between 2 and 4 per cent of people surveyed had played jackpot
machines or table games in cruises or casinos overseas, making them
among the least popular activities.
About 2.1 per cent of those surveyed were probably problem
gamblers.
Even though the proportion of such gamblers is small, the National
Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) wants to make sure the figure
does not grow.
Said NCPG chairman Lim Hock San: "Our Responsible Gambling
Sub-committee is actively engaging gambling operators to implement
responsible gambling practices. Thus far, we have met with
Singapore Pools, Singapore Turf Club and several private clubs with
jackpot rooms. Cruise ship and IR operators are next in
line."
Measures will include displaying counselling helpline numbers and
other information on problem gambling on their premises and
training employees to identify and refer gambling addicts to
counselling centres.
"Ultimately, public education on the harmful effects of problem
gambling is key to empowering people to act responsibly," said Mr
Lim.
The NCPG has set up two pilot counselling centres for problem
gambling.
Those who need help can visit the centres or call the helplines:
Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society (1800-X-GAMBLE) and Care Corner
Counselling Centre (1800-6-668-66
People may also visit the National Council on Problem Gambling
website at www.ncpg.org.sg for more information.
