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The
New Paper, 5 Apr 04
When housewife loses, her family eats less
well
By Joyce Lim
LADY Luck dictates what Madam Irene Tan's family has for dinner each
week. When she loses at the casino, her family feeds on leftovers.
Why? Because she's blown the marketing money.
Madam Tan loves the lifestyle of a casino gambler, but does not have
the means to live it. She uses her grown-up children's $500 household
allowance to gamble. And, if she loses the money, which is more often
than not, she won't have any left to buy the week's groceries for
her family meals. So, instead of fish and roast meat, they will eat
fried eggs and vegetables, or whatever she finds in the refrigerator
- for the whole week. Her two sons, their wives and two toddler grandchildren
have not complained about the change in dinner menu, said Madam Tan,
who lives with them in a five-room HDB flat. She does not think they
notice. 'They are not fussy over food. They eat whatever I cook,'
she added.
This happens about four weeks each year, as she goes to Genting Highlands
during the school holidays. The 50-year-old housewife is typical of
the many housewife low-rollers that The New Paper on Sunday met at
Genting Highlands last weekend. They are mostly in their late 40s
to 60s and have less than $1,000 in hand for gambling at the casino.
Like Madam Tan, most of these housewives take the coach from Beach
Road to the cable car station halfway up the hill resort. They then
hop onto a cable car which takes them straight to the top. They pay
between $30 and $75 for their journeys. But though they keep going,
said many of these housewives, they hardly ever win. Some of the popular
games like baccarat require a minimum bet of RM25 ($11). They tend
to follow the more experienced players when they place their bets.
Sometimes they will bet as much as RM$300 a hand. With their limited
capital, they often do not have a chance to recoup their losses, said
Madam Tan.
Housewife Madam Ng, who was there with her three children, lost $200
within a few minutes. She later told this reporter that she does not
feel the pinch as she expected to lose her money anyway. 'Many people
know that they are sure to lose, but they still want to gamble. 'It's
for the fun of it. 'We're just low-rollers,' said Madam Ng.
Another low-roller, waitress Ong Poh Choo, 49, heads to Genting Highlands
with her friends whenever she can - about four to five times a year.
'I love to play the jackpot, even though I lose most of the time,'
she said in Hokkien. 'I'd usually stay in Genting for three days and
two nights. 'I'd make sure that the $500 to $1,000 I bring will last
me throughout my stay. So I'll place small bets and gamble slowly.'
Madam Ong admits that she has lost more money than she has won. But
she still chooses Genting Highlands as her holiday destination because
of the casinos there.
Many come to Genting as holiday makers initially, and then become
hooked, said housewife Madam Anne Lee. She added: 'I got addicted
to gambling after my holiday in Genting Highlands six years ago. 'Now,
whenever I've some spare cash, I like to come here to try my luck.
'I enjoy the thrill of the games, but I'm not one of those who would
gamble away my last dollar.' 'I've seen how some people placed RM8,000
for one bet and lost everything within minutes. 'We housewives are
not so daring. We don't have so much money in the first place. 'Once
I've lost a few hundred dollars, I'll move on to play the jackpot
machines instead. 'Each bet is as low as two cents. 'A hundred dollars
can last me a whole night.'
Madam Lee said that she usually drives to Genting Highlands from Singapore
and never needs to book a hotel room. 'When I'm in Genting, I spend
all my time in the casino. 'Once I even gambled for two days and two
nights without sleep,' recalled Madam Lee. 'There was a period when
Genting Hotel offered gamblers hotel rooms at RM1 per night. 'These
hotel operators just want to attract people to the casinos. 'If every
hotel guest goes to the casino and loses a few hundred dollars, they
would easily have covered the cost of the hotel rooms.' |
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