Source: Strait Times

WHAT struck me on Monday when I visited the casino at Resorts World Sentosa was the long queue of foreigners waiting to enter.

One could tell that most were work permit holders and foreigners studying here: Bangladeshis, Indians and Chinese formed the overwhelming majority.

Tourists were in the minority. Inside the casino, one could not miss these work permit workers and students. They were everywhere – mingling with the crowd, sitting at the gaming tables and trying their hand at the different games and the slot machines.

If the Government is concerned about the harmful effects that gambling may have on Singaporeans by levying the $100 entrance fee, should it not also worry about work permit holders and foreign students gambling in the casinos?

Blue-collar workers toil under the sun to earn their limited keep, only to wager away their wages at the gaming tables. Parents spend a princely sum to send their precious children here to study, only for them to waste time in the casinos.

The Government should reconsider allowing work permit holders and foreign students studying here to enter the casino free.

After all, they are not the target group of patrons. Work permit holders and students from abroad studying here may be foreigners but they are not tourists.

Chia Yong Soong