Publicizing gambling winners "asymmetric and unfair," assesses Minister
More draconian measures are planned by the Singapore Government in order to deter residents from visiting casino resorts. As the government’s Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balarishnan told the parliament, the plans include prevention of casinos from publicizing customers' winnings on their websites. She assessed the practice as "asymmetric and unfair publicity," adding: "You will find that they never publicize the losses and the consequences of those losses on the gamblers and their families.”
However, she did not specify the time when the Ministry’s plans would be implemented.
This week’s reports from Singapore follow the the Government’s action from September 2010, when it cancelled bus shuttle services between casinos and town centers, as it deemed promotional efforts should be confined to tourists.
Still, the government should think twice before implementing any other measures against gambling, as reports claim that Singapore's two casino resorts, operated by Genting Singapore Plc and Las Vegas Sands Corp, made a significant contribution to a 14.7 percent increase in Singapore's gross domestic product in 2010.
