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Singapore contemplating legalising Casinos

Government are reconsidering their traditional stance

Tuesday 8th June 2004



Singapore seems to be rethinking its stance on outlawing land-based casinos. They are currently forbidden as the government fear the social impact they perceive introducing land-based casinos could bring to the country. Faced with the undeniable lure to tourists and increased revenue to the government that allowing casinos could result in, the Singapore government are now thought to be reconsidering their position.

Currently both state lotteries and betting on horse races are permissible in the region, and with an estimated ten percent of the state’s total tax revenue coming from the lotteries, it is this kind of fact, which may see a shift in the attitude to casinos. The presence of land-based casinos is spreading rapidly in South East Asia- which provides another pressure to the government to compete with its neighbours for the valuable tourist trade.

The government has made it known that it is indeed more open to the idea of introducing casinos, but that no firm decision either way will be made until the end of 2004. One concern of the governments- about the potential social disruption, is thought to be being considered at the moment, with concepts like making the casinos only available to visitors to the country and only the wealthy residents by structuring expensive memberships.




Source: OnlineCasinoNews