Plans after Moratorium on Two Casino Licences Expires

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether the Government plans to extend the moratorium on additional casino licences once the current 10-year moratorium on the current two licences expires in 2016; and (b) whether Singaporeans will be consulted well in advance of any plans to issue additional casino licences.

The Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry (Mr Lee Yi Shyan)(for the Minister for Trade and Industry): Mdm Speaker, the 10-year moratorium on additional casino licences expires in 2017. During this period, our focus is to work with the two Integrated Resorts to ensure that their attractions and services continue to meet Singapore's needs and enhance Singapore's tourism appeal.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Non-Constituency Member): Madam, has the Government received any requests from casino operators to issue more licences after 2017? And, if so, are these from existing operators or are they new ones, and what arguments have been put forward by the casinos, if any?

Second, what will the Government's considerations be in granting or not granting casino licences after 2017? And finally, how is the Government tracking the social harm that has brought about by casinos since they were introduced?

Mr Lee Yi Shyan: Mdm Speaker, currently we have no plans beyond the moratorium. As I said, the priority now is to work with the existing Integrated Resorts (IRs) to ensure that they continue to improve their offerings, so that as part of the tourism appeal and content of Singapore remain attractive.

For the last few years, it is useful to note that other countries in the region have also started to build or seen completion of casinos. For instance, in the Philippines, they will have five IRs by 2018, and in Korea, they will also have five by 2019. Other countries that have expressed interest to build IRs would be like Japan and Taiwan. This is the international competitive landscape in terms of major cities improving their tourism attractions. This will be one set of considerations that we have to take into consideration as and when we consider the next steps. Domestically, the two IRs contribute between 1.5% and 2% to our GDP and they have created more than 20,000 jobs. These are also the economic considerations that we have to bear in mind.

For the monitoring of crime related to the casino operations, the Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA) is keeping a very close watch. From their reports, we have not seen substantial increase in crime associated with casinos.