E-Learning 5 - Question 2

1. The casino being built in Singapore is supposed to be a money-maker and job creator. However, many people have spoken against it. Talk to a parent or adult and get their view on the casino. Listen to the NPR and YouTube offerings and choose one that substantiates your viewpoint and include a quote from it as well. Your blog entry has to be at least 200 words and you must either support the casino or condemn its construction and ultimately the hardships it will cause in Singapore

The casinos that are to be built in Singapore are meant to provide new jobs for Singaporeans and to produce income for the country. However, do you think that casinos will cause more harm or more good? Personally, I am against the casino being built in Singapore.

When I think about casinos, the first thing that comes to mind is gambling. How does gambling affect us? Many a time, we hear stories in the news about compulsive gamblers who have lost all their money, their cars, and all their assets. These people, who were once wealthy men, now have to resort to being homeless, and because of their gambling addiction, are abandoned by their family. Is this worth it? Of course, these people are extreme cases. Gambling 10 cents with your cousins is almost harmless, but in casinos, there is usually a minimum wager of about $50. Even so, most people usually play in hundreds of dollars a time. Some people even play consecutive games for hours straight! Imagine if you are a player in that casino, and you are on a losing streak. This will make you desperate to win back the money that you have so unluckily lost. This will cause you to gamble again and again and eventually lose what you originally brought. Ultimately, you go home a loser, still unsatisfied and resort to selling your car with the mentality that "I can't be THAT unlucky!" and go off to the casino only to lose it all again. Then you decide to sell your house.... This cycle continues until one day, you are left with nothing... crazy, but possible.

"Often, the people who really suffer from problem gambling aren't the gamblers"
(Anti-gambling Television Commercial (Singapore))
Quite true, as the gamblers' family members are often the ones who suffer from the gambler's addiction, as they may be used to vent frustration on and also become homeless because of the gambler. Therefore, they are the ones who are really affected.

Thus, I conclude by saying that the casino being built in Singapore is more of a bane than a boon, and that its construction should be condemned.