Singapore will ban its citizens, particularly low-income and unemployed people, from casinos to curb gambling and its impact on society, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth, and Sports has revealed.
The Ministry said it wants to protect the “financially vulnerable” after an official survey showed an increasing proportion of low-income gamblers betting large sums of money.
Critics have condemned casinos due to their perceived influence on social problems such as organized crime, and the gambling addiction that may stem from visiting.
The Singaporean government already bans people who have declared bankruptcy and recipients of long-term government financial aid. Following July’s ban on low-income and unemployed people, public-housing tenants with a balance of six months and above will be included on the list.
Singapore allowed two casinos licenses after it lifted bans on casinos in 2005 to promote tourism – Genting Singapore PLC’s Resorts World Sentosa and Las Vegas Sands Corp.’s Marina Bay Sands.
