Singapore Places Bet on Casinos
The government, reversing its decades-old ban on casino gambling, said it will award two licenses by year end to build and operate casino resorts that authorities hope will revive tourism and make Singapore a more vibrant place to live and work.
The government's decision, which had been widely expected despite opposition from many Singaporeans including some cabinet members, comes as casino operators look toward Asia for expansion. Nearly 20 operators submitted concepts for what Singapore calls an "integrated resort." Developers that win licenses are expected to invest a combined US$3 billion to build the resorts, likely to open around 2009.
The decision to allow casinos was announced in Parliament yesterday by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. "We want Singapore to have the X-factor -- the buzz that you get in London, Paris or New York," he said. "If we become a backwater, just one of many ordinary cities in Asia, instead of being a cosmopolitan hub of the region, then many good jobs will be lost and all Singaporeans will suffer. We cannot afford that."
One resort will be on Sentosa Island in Singapore harbor, while the other will be at Marina Bay, an area on Singapore's main island near the central business district. Mr. Lee said the government decided to have two casinos as they will complement each other, provide competition and critical mass, "and because we believe that the two projects will bring more economic benefits without increasing the social costs."
The issue of potential social costs was a heated one in the months prior to yesterday's announcement. A survey by the Singapore government said 2.1% of its adult population is at risk of becoming addicted to gambling. Opponents of casinos worry they will breed vice, crime and broken families in the city-state. One group collected more than 30,000 signatures on an anticasino petition -- a sizable number in a place where public opposition to government policy is rare.
Tan Thuan Seng , president of another anticasino group, Focus on the Family, expressed disappointment about the decision and "big concern" about the possibility of growing addiction to gambling. "Their own study says that something like 55,000 people are at risk as problem gamblers. What if it climbs to 100,000, or 300,000? Will they reconsider then, or say that it's a price worth paying?" he said.
Along with its casino decision, the government announced it will set up a "comprehensive national framework to tackle problem gambling in Singapore." Mr. Lee said the government will take measures to minimize the impact of problem gambling. These include an entrance fee of S$100, or about US$60 a day, or S$2,000 a year, for Singaporeans and permanent residents who wish to visit the casino; a system of exclusions for those in financial distress or who are receiving public assistance; and prohibiting casinos from extending credit to locals.
Mr. Lee denied widespread speculation that authorities decided on the casino before it began the process of public consultation about a year ago. Fong Hoe Fang, whose group ran the signature campaign, complained that the government decided not to put the issue to a vote in Parliament because it "couldn't take the pressure."
The prime minister said, "In fact, the cabinet started off mostly against the IRs [integrated resorts]...Even after so many discussions, ministers were still not unanimous."
Singaporeans already spend an estimated S$2 billion gambling abroad each year, including on cruise ships that ply waters just off Singapore, and in Genting Highlands, a casino in Malaysia. Rules imposed by the Malaysian government prohibit that country's majority Malay population, who are Muslim, from gambling at Genting Highlands.
Among the big international casino operators eyeing a Singapore license are Harrah's Entertainment Inc., MGM Mirage, Wynn Resorts Ltd. and Las Vegas Sands Corp., all based in Las Vegas.
The city-state will put out a request for proposals this quarter, with a closing date for submission in the third quarter and a decision expected by year end, Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang said.
The prime minister said Singapore's share of the regional tourism industry shrank from 8% in 1998 to 6% in 2002. "Tourists are spending less time in Singapore. They used to stay an average of about four days in 1991, but now they stay only for three days," he said. In contrast, tourists stay an average of four days in Hong Kong, five days in London and almost a week in New York, Mr. Lee said.
Singapore also didn't want to lose casino investments to any of its Asian neighbors, analysts say. Macau opened its gambling sector to foreign investors in 2002, and other countries are believed to be considering liberalizing their laws on gambling.
The two casinos are expected to raise Singapore's annual gross domestic product by S$1.5 billion, the government said. They will also create about 35,000 jobs when spinoffs in the rest of the economy are considered, it said. 新加坡批准设立两家赌场
新加坡政府称，它将在年底前颁发两个建造并经营赌场度假胜地的牌照，当局希望这将会提振旅游业，使新加坡成为一个更具活力的生活和工作之地。这一举动废除了新加坡数十年来的赌场禁令。
尽管包括一些内阁成员在内的许多新加坡人提出反对，但政府的这一决定已经在人们的普遍预期之中，该决定的作出正值赌场运营商在亚洲寻求扩张之际。近 20 家运营商已经为新加坡所称的“综合度假胜地”提交了发展概念计划书。获得许可证的开发商预计将总投资 30 亿美元建造度假胜地，开业时间大约在 2009 年。
新加坡总理李显龙 (Lee Hsien Loong) 周一在国会上宣布了准许开设赌场的决定。李显龙说，“我们想要新加坡也成为像伦敦、巴黎以及纽约这样魅力十足的大都会。如果新加坡停滞不前，就不能成为地区性的国际大都市中心，不单会失去许多就业机会，所有新加坡人都将遭受损失。这是我们担负不起的。”
其中一个度假胜地将建在圣淘沙，另外一个将建在滨海湾，后者位于新加坡主岛临近中央商务区的区域。李显龙说，政府决定建设两个赌场，因为它们互为补充，可以展开竞争，吸引大量的游客 , “因为我们相信，两个项目在无需增加社会成本的情况下将带来更多的经济效益。”
关于潜在社会成本的问题数月来一直是个热门话题。新加坡政府的调查称， 2.1% 的新加坡成年人可能会对嗜赌成瘾。赌场的反对者担心，赌场将在新加坡孳生出不道德行为、犯罪并造成家庭破裂。一个团体征集了 3 万多个反对开设赌场的签名－－这在公众很少对政府政策提出反对意见的新加坡来说是一个庞大的数目。
另外一个反赌场团体 Focus on the Family 的领导人 Tan Thuan Seng 对政府通过这一决定感到失望，他对嗜赌成瘾的人可能会增加感到忧心忡忡。“政府自己的研究称，大约 55,000 人有可能会成为问题性赌徒。如果此类人群增加至 100,000 人或 300,000 人怎么办？到时候他们会重新考虑吗？还是说这是值得付出的代价？”他说道。
在宣布赌场决定的同时，新加坡政府还宣布将推出一个全国性的综合工程来解决新加坡的赌博问题。李显龙说，政府将采取措施将病态赌博的影响降至最低。措施包括对想进入赌场的新加坡人或永久公民收取门票费 100 新元，或者每天 60 美元，或者每年 2,000 新元；一个针对陷入财务困境或获得公共资助的人群的排除系统；禁止赌场向当地人发放信贷。
李显龙否认了一个流传甚广的猜测，即当局在大约一年前开始征询公众意见以前就已经对开设赌场作出决定。签名运动发起团体的负责人 Fong Hoe Fang 抱怨政府决定不将这个问题提交给国会表决，因为政府无法承担压力。
李显龙称，“事实上，内阁刚开始反对建设综合度假胜地 ... 即使在经过多次讨论后，部长们仍未统一意见。”
新加坡人在海外每年把大约 20 亿新元支出用于赌博，其地点包括在靠近新加坡海域的游轮以及马来西亚云顶 (Genting Highlands) 赌场。马来西亚政府颁布的法令禁止占该国人口多数的信奉伊斯兰教的马来人在云顶赌博。
觊觎新加坡牌照的大型国际赌场运营商包括 Harrah's Entertainment Inc. 、 MGM Mirage 、永利渡假 (Wynn Resorts Ltd.) 以及 Las Vegas Sands Corp. ，所有这些公司全部来自拉斯维加斯。
新加坡贸易及工业部部长林勋强 (Lim Hng Kiang) 称，本季度将要求赌场运营商提供计划书，计划书提交截至日在第三季度，预计年底将作出决定。
李显龙称，新加坡在地区旅游业的市场占有率从 1998 年的 8% 下降至 2002 年的 6% 。“旅游者在新加坡的停留时间减少。他们在 1991 年平均停留大约 4 天，但是现在他们只停留 3 天，”他说。与此相对照，旅游者在香港平均停留 4 天，在伦敦平均停留 5 天，而在纽约平均停留大约一周，李显龙说道。
政府称，预计两个赌场将把新加坡的年国内生产总值提高 15 亿新元。政府还表示，如果考虑到对其他经济领域的附带效应，它们将创造出大约 35,000 个职位。
