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The
New Paper, 5 Apr 04
Chip Thrills: Genting casino didn't ruin
Malaysians,
so why worry about one here?
By Ken Jalleh Jr
FEELING lucky? Welcome to the Casino, a Disneyland for the gullible,
the deluded and the idiotic, a playground for people who believe that
a $5 chip, well-placed, would reap a life free of financial worry
and everlasting happiness.
Welcome to a world where, as they say, there's a dumb, buck-toothed
William Hung born every day. I know. I, too, was once part of the
betting brigade, often referred to, with a snigger, as Suckers.
My first experience in a casino was at Genting Highlands. Stuck alone
in a room on a cloud-covered mountain, I was there to report on a
bowling competition for The Straits Times. I remember it clearly because
I lost. It was money a $350-a-month sportswriter could ill afford
to lose. At 2am, trying hard to sleep, the casino beneath was a throbbing
invitation to 'Come, come, put money, take money'. I did not notice,
then, the whisper of fine-print: You put money, we take money.
I have since experienced flutters in casinos from Mauritius to Lake
Tahoe to cruise ships. That I am still working for a living, still
far from a life free of financial worry and everlasting happiness
is testimony to Lady Luck's utter hostility. There are many like me.
Small fry with big dreams and hopeless willpower.
In the next six pages you will find a portrait of the low-rollers
and the low-lifes, the minions in the glamorous world of casinos.
They are the retirees who, having spent their lives slaving away for
a decent wage, suddenly discover the thrill of a wager. Housewives
and desperadoes They are the housewives who have graduated from Toto
and 4-D, who now salivate at the prospect of a seat at the roulette
table, who worship at the root of the money tree, hoping that an apple
of opportunity, just one in the bountiful orchard, would fall into
their open palms. And there are the desperados who see numbers in
their sleep, and dream of overnight riches.
They are many. And they are a major consideration should the Government
proceed with plans to build a casino on Sentosa. Will more of such
people flock to the orchard of chance should one be built on Sentosa?
That's a sucker's bet. Will they become a burden to society? They
are the reason the Government is treading gingerly in its plans for
a casino, leaning towards making it exclusive to the high-rollers.
Compared to the benefits of having a casino - thousands of jobs, spinoffs
from tourism and taxation - why are they cause for such concern? No
negative social impact The Genting experience shows that there has
been little damage to the religious and social fabric in Malaysia.
Indeed, Genting Bhd, Asia's largest publicly-traded casino, is salivating
at the windfall from a 61 per cent surge of tourists from China, thanks
to efforts by the Malaysian Tourism Board. Hong Kong has casinos just
a hydrofoil ride away on Macau - and Hongkongers are none the worse
for it. Indeed, could their much-envied entrepreneural spirit be because
of Macau?
Singapore gamblers already have floating casinos beckoning like beacons
at the edge of our waters, just as they have Batam, a 55-minute boat-ride
away. We have illegal gambling dens, Singapore Pools betting outlets
in HDB estates - where even R(A) movies aren't allowed - and the Singapore
Turf Club. So why this fear of social upheaval? What, as a gambler
would say, we worry? Can we create a risk-taking citizenry and still
keep it on a leash? Dare we allow the Singaporean to learn for himself
the difference between the perils of a punt placed recklessly, and
a wager made with eyes wide open? Hesitate, spend too much time scrutinising
the odds, and mulling over the consequences, and the Thais may seize
the prize with a winning bet on a casino in Pattaya.
Singapore is known for its caution. We scrutinise the future, study
all the scenarios. But, in today's world, can we afford to be slow
and steady? No place disproves the existence of clairvoyants or the
advantage of careful planning more than a casino. For every roulette
player who claims he has a vision - or even a formula to back that
vision - and walks away with a fortune, there are 36 people who had
the same vision, plonked their same everything, and stumbled away
humbled and broke. It's a matter of percentages. And gamblers, high-
or low-roller, must be responsible for their own calculations.
I learned a precious lesson the hard way: Life is like a casino; You
win initially, but lose eventually. Living is a gamble; and then you
die. Yes, casinos are a sucker's playground. But can it also be a
classroom for the risk-averse?
The retirees
THESE are men in their 50s and 60s who gamble because they are bored.
They use their savings and the money their children give them. They
wager small amounts, usually less than $100, and limit their losses
to a few hundred dollars each time.
A 61-year-old who gave his name only as Mr Ong said that, over the
past six years, he has been going to a Batam casino two to three times
a week, and to a cruise-ship casino once every two to three months.
He told The New Paper on Sunday at the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal:
'I do it to kill time. 'There's not much else for me to do.' Over
at Genting Highlands, one retiree lost RM$300 ($132) in less than
10 minutes at the gaming table. He then switched to jackpot. 'I can
play the jackpot for the whole night. 'It's only five cents per bet,'
he was overheard telling his wife.
The housewives
DRESSED in floral blouses, capri pants and platforms, these 'Ah Sohs'
gamble while their husbands are at work and their children, at school.
Some also do it behind their families' backs. Many like to wear red
blouses for good luck.
Madam A P Sim, 44, who gambles on board a Leisure World cruise ship,
said: 'I go on weekdays - maybe three out of five days. 'I take the
ferry at noon and come back on the 5pm ferry - just in time to go
home and prepare dinner for my family.' She said her husband knows
about her gambling, but not her two sons who are in secondary school.
They think she just plays mahjong with her friends.
Most of the housewives we spoke to said their stakes are small - between
$2 and $50 per bet - and most do not lose more than $500. But these
punters can play for long hours without sleep. Some even end up losing
their monthly marketing allowance.
Madam Ng, in her 50s, said most housewife gamblers like herself pick
up the habit while on a holiday abroad. She started gamblingon a trip
to Genting Highlands with her son and daughter-in-law two years ago.
She said: 'When I reach the place, I prefer to stay indoors and try
my luck at the casinos. 'It's okay to lose a few hundred dollars for
the thrill I get from gambling. 'I know I'll lose, but I still like
to go there.'
The grannies
WHILE some gamble to kill time, others are seasoned punters. Many
dip into their savings or the money given to them by their children.
When SBS Transit bus number 35 arrived at the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal
at 11.45am on a Wednesday, it was carrying mostly elderly female passengers.
With their backs slightly hunched and their eyes to the ground, they
clutched their handbags tightly under their armpits as they shuffled
hurriedly to the boarding gate. They were rushing to catch the noon
ferry.
Madam C W Ong, a 66-year-old grandmother of four, said: 'Today I don't
have to look after my grandchildren, so I'm going to Batam to gamble.
'I don't go often, only when I'm free and when I have kakis (Malay
for buddies) to go with me.' She added that all her three working
children give her money every month, so she always has 'spare cash'.
'At my age, I don't need so much money, so I don't mind using it for
small gambling stakes.'
The jobless
THEY are out of work, they have time on their hands, they are bored.
So they go to casinos. And for those who cannot find work despite
many attempts, they hope their fortunes will change at the gaming
tables. Some of them have even blown their retrenchment payouts at
the casinos.
Mr Soh, who used to work as a lorry driver, has been jobless for a
year. The 56-year-old said: 'I've tried looking for a job in vain
for so long. 'I get bored staying at home, so I go to Batam once or
twice a week to gamble.' He said he gets the money to gamble from
his three children who are in their 20s. 'They may give me money,
but I still want to work so I can kill time. 'And if I work, I won't
go to the casino.'
S'pore losers so desperate... They cheat cabbies, leave kids outside
SOME Singapore gamblers lose so much at the Genting casinos that they
cannot even afford cab rides to the train station or airport to catch
their rides home. Desperate Singaporeans sometimes resort to trickery
to get a free ride.
Two Malaysian taxi drivers told The New Paper on Sunday that they
have encountered such Singaporeans. The gamblers would approach them
outside the Genting Highlands resort and ask to be taken to the Kuala
Lumpur railway station or the airport. But once the cab nears their
destination, they jump out and run off, without paying a cent of their
fare. It costs between RM60 ($24.50) and RM180 to go to the railway
station or airport. 'Some will jump out of the car when it stops at
a traffic junction or when there's a traffic congestion,' said one
of the cab drivers, who wanted to be known only as Mr Lam. 'Some of
them who don't manage to run away will then beg the cab drivers to
let them go without paying.
'They'll come up with all sorts of excuses to try and gain the drivers'
sympathy.' Mr Lam said he has learnt his lesson from more than five
bad experiences. 'At least once a month, I'll meet someone who can't
afford to pay me,' said the 36-year-old cab driver. He regularly ferries
passengers to and from Genting Highlands. 'Now, when I know that my
passengers are Singaporeans, I'll ask for payment upfront first,'
he said. But he has made exceptions for a handful of them who look
really hard-up. Mr Lam said: 'They honestly admit that they have no
money. 'They also don't look like habitual gamblers. So I don't mind
taking them to KL city. 'Some of them promise to pay me the next time
they visited Genting Highlands and a few really did.'
Another taxi driver, Mr Ricky Tan, 53, said he has seen mothers leave
their children at the hotel lobby, while they spend the whole night
in the casino. Recalling one occasion, he said: 'The poor children
looked cold and hungry. 'If the mother can afford to gamble, shouldn't
she have paid for a hotel room for her kids to have a good night's
sleep?'
Apart from uncaring moms, the cabbies have also seen desperate gambling
addicts who prostitute themselves to get more money. Mr Tan said:
'Some gamblers will do anything to get cash to recover their losses.'
'I've seen some young women prostituting themselves to tourists after
they've lost all their money at the casinos. 'Some resort to borrowing
money from loansharks. 'The older folks would pawn their jewellery
for more cash.' |
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