ESTABLISHMENT OF A CASINO IN SINGAPORE

Mr Ng Yeow Chong asked the Minister for Finance (a) whether Government approval will be given for the establishment of a casino in Singapore; and (b) whether the Government in its objective to boost tourism has also considered that the establishment of a casino may lead to loose morals or even corruption in morals of the people of Singapore.

Dr Goh Keng Swee: Sir, it is difficult for me at this stage to give a categorical reply to this question, because no firm application has been received by Government for the establishment of a casino in Singapore. To a great extent, therefore, my answer reflects my personal thinking on the subject and also what I believe to be the personal thinking of some of my colleagues on the establishment of a casino in Singapore. To be quite candid, I am not at all enamoured of this proposal. I very much doubt whether tourists would come to Singapore for a gambling spree in a casino. But the Tourist Promotion Board, who, after all, are Government's agency for the promotion of tourism in Singapore, hold a contrary view and they tell me that they have received a number of applications from various syndicates abroad. My own inclination would be to vote against this proposition, unless it can be shown that, first, substantial benefits would accrue to Singapore; second, there will be safeguards against Singapore citizens making use of this casino. In many countries which allow casinos to be established, I believe entrance to the casinos is only by a foreign passport, and if this condition can be observed in the casino here and if it can be shown that a casino will be of great economic benefit to Singapore, then perhaps I may relax my objections to the establishment of a casino.

As regards the second part of the question, of course, there is the danger of corruption of morals, which moves me and my colleagues to have these views on the establishment of a casino in Singapore.