Impact of Gaming in Singapore

The gaming industry in Asia has developed over the years to become major business operations today. The term, ‘gaming industry’ refers to legalised gambling, an activity that is defined as taking the risk of losing something of value, usually monetary, in the hope of winning additional value if the outcome of a game which depends on chance is in one’s favour. To avoid the ‘negative connotations’ of the word ‘gambling’, legalised gambling is commonly referred to as the gaming industry. Legalised gambling not only occurs at predefined locations such as casinos. It can also take the form of betting on games such as horse racing and soccer. As the use of internet spreads, gambling online is fast catching on. The popularity of the gaming industry has gathered speed over the last ten years and is expected to continue expanding in the coming years in tandem with the boom in Asian economies. From Macau (also known as Asian Las Vegas), Manila bay, Philippines, Singapore to Genting Highlands in Malaysia, the gaming industry has contributed significantly to the economic progress of the countries. Compared with Macau which has had legalised gambling for more than 100 years, the gaming industry in Singapore is rather new. The two integrated resorts with casinos have opened for less than two years. The opening of these two resorts has brought about many differing opinions, worrying concerns and trends which are not unfounded. This thesis studies the gaming industry in Singapore. It reviews the psychology of gambling and its impacts on economy, society, culture and law. Previous researches and studies conducted on legalised casinos all pointed towards the comparison between the economic benefits and social costs of the introduction of gaming industry. To gather both new qualitative and quantitative data, the author utilised a questionnaire based on the mixed-methods approach. This thesis draws conclusions and answers questions on the attitudes and perceptions towards the casinos using the responses obtained from the local residents. It also uncovers issues that are of importance to the residents after the casinos are opened and underscore the impacts of the gaming industry on the economy, society, culture and law in Singapor