Business Communication Long Report

1. Introduction Recently, there has been a heated debate about having a casino in Singapore. After many arguments, the Singapore's government has decided that 2 casinos will be built at Marina Bay and Sentosa respectively.

1.1 Purpose The objectives of this report are to: 1. Find out the advantages and disadvantages of constructing the casinos; and 2. Analyze the different opinions of Singaporeans regarding the casinos in Singapore.

1.2 Scope 3 main issues were brought up from the surveys and interviews that we have conducted. 1. Singaporeans would achieve more job opportunities. •

The government has to employ workers to run the casino.

•

Considering the man-power required, Singapore will have lesser people who are jobless.

2. Boosting the economy in Singapore. •

The casinos could be considered as an attraction in Singapore.

•

Tourists from various countries will then visit Singapore to gamble.

•

In this case, economy in Singapore would change for the better.

3. Social life of Singaporeans •

Gambling is usually a major vice in lifestyles.

•

Teenagers may be badly-influenced by parents who consistently gamble.

•

Family ties would then be fragile.

•

Increase of crime rates

1.3 Research Methodology We decided to use the secondary research, mainly the internet to source for more information and at the same time, keep ourselves updated with the latest news about the casinos. The websites we researched on consists of:

Business Communication 2 2009 1. Reason why the government consider constructing casinos. It is said that Singapore has to

adapt to the fast-moving society according to the countries that are developing major tourist attractions.

2. What is self-exclusion? Is it effective in reducing gambling problem? Self-exclusion

enables a person who is at risk of developing bad gambling habits. They can then refrain from gambling and seek help to control his/her problem.

3. Recruitments for job positions within the casinos have begun in April 2009. Foreigners

are also hoping to be employed in the casino in Singapore. It is assumed that the number of employees would peak in June/July 2009.

4. Prostitution and illegal money lending are often associated with casinos. The casino

operator will be responsible to ensure that such activities do not take place within its premises. Strict internal controls and procedures are also needed to protect the integrity of games and financial transactions against cheats and other criminals. In order to get accurate results, we decided to use the primary research. According to the list of our opinions and concerns, we created a survey and interview questions. A total of 20 persons were surveyed, and 10 persons were interviewed. In addition, a video clip of 2 interviewees are attached in the report as well. We have gathered the opinions of various groups of people, ranging from young adults to working adults. A total of 20 persons were surveyed, and 10 persons were interviewed accordingly.

1.3 Limitations of Research We discovered 2 main limitations when conducting research. 1. Several people whom we interviewed are mostly of our age. •

They are either unaware of the happenings about the casinos, or;

•

They care less about them.

2. The lack of support from organizations.

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Business Communication 2 2009 •

We managed to email an organization for enquires. However, the person-in-charge did not give us a reply.

2. Executive Summary An online survey and a series of face-to-face interviews were done to determine the views of Singaporeans on the upcoming establishment of a casino in Singapore. A total of 30 young adults were surveyed and interviewed. They generally felt positive about the casino; albeit some mentioning that they had worries regarding the negative secondary effects that might arise due to the existence of a casino. From the survey, 65% of the respondents agreed that having a casino in Singapore is advisable, while a minority either answered ‘Strongly agree’, ‘Disagree’ or ‘Strongly disagree’. Next, we asked if the reputation of Singapore being an ‘education hub’ would be tarnished following the advent of the casino, and the majority disagreed. Another study was conducted to see if Singaporeans think that having a casino would result in an increase in job opportunities. 70% of them answered ‘Yes’, while 5% and 25% of respondents answered ‘No’ and ‘Maybe’ respectively. Some of them even pointed out that ‘Casinos will require a lot of manpower to run the place and for all operations to go smoothly. It will definitely boost employment.’ Apart from the study, there were newspaper articles which proved our point – An increase in job opportunities for Singaporeans. The purpose of the next study is to find out how the casino will help Singapore in boosting its economy. The majority of the respondents believed that the main boost will come from the potential influx of tourists while the rest tended to believe that it will be the increased inflow of foreign investors that will serve as the main boost. Next, we looked into the social repercussions of the existence of a casino in Singapore. We questioned which of the listed factors will impact the family members in the event that one of them was to indulge in problem gambling. A significant portion of responses indicated ‘Financially’, while most others indicated ‘Social life.’ The following study conducted was to see how casino will affect teenagers the most, and results clearly showed that most agreed with it influencing and encouraging them to gamble, while equal number of respondents believe that family issues will arise due to negative family environment, causing bad attitude, or that teenagers might adopt the thinking that gambling will earn them a bright future. Then, we went on to discover Singaporean views on the government regulations to prevent negative issues from compulsive gambling. The majority feel that our Singapore government had not done enough, and the remaining 45% felt otherwise. Business Communication 2 Long Report Copyrighted

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Business Communication 2 2009 3. Findings According to all the surveys and interviews we have in hand, we discovered that our respondents carry different opinions, regarding how the 2 casinos will affect the daily lives of Singaporeans and Singapore herself.

3.1 Advantage or Disadvantage? Within our knowledge, the moment the idea of building the IR (integrated resort) was set, as mass amount of our residents voiced out their opinions, which consists of both positive and negative feedbacks. According to our research, there is still an abounding group of people who believes that having 2 casinos in Singapore is not a bad idea as it will ultimately help to boost our economy. On the other hand, the minority are concerned with the negative points of having 2 casinos in Singapore, mainly people being addicted to gambling or breaking the laws. Therefore, we will look into all the queries with the following findings.

3.2 Acceptance level of casinos The responses are relatively positive as they showed the following results: 5% of the respondents strongly agreed and 65% of them agreed that having 2 casinos in Singapore are advisable. This proved that majority of the Singaporeans have no objections against the idea of building the casinos in Singapore despite the fact that several debates were held in Parliament in the early stages of year 2006. (Refer to Appendix A)

3.3 Concerns over reputation of Singapore This operation concerns the reputation of Singapore. She is a well-known as an “Education Hub”. However to our relief, 75% of our respondents believe that it will hardly affect the country’s reputation. (Refer to Appendix B) This shows that people’s mindsets are not leaning towards ‘building the casinos will affect the nation in a whole and not just education.’

3.4 Job opportunities, Economy boost The initial idea of the approval regarding the construction of the 2 integrated casinos by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was to boost the economy and create more job opportunities. It is estimated that with the investment of US$5billions, 35 000 jobs will be created and in addition, a boost of US$1.5billion will be provided to the economy annually. As we have expected, majority of our respondents (70%) do believe that there will be an increase in job opportunities once the casinos are ready to function. (Refer to Appendix C)

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Business Communication 2 2009 However, we discovered that there is a concern from several respondents regarding the number of vacancies after the opening of the casinos. Some believed that it may increase job opportunities, but it would ultimately benefit the foreigners instead of the locals. According to our research on the recent Education and Career Fair held at Suntec on the 58March, IR recruitment drive announced that they will place Singaporeans as their priority. This proves that Singaporeans still carry the wrong mindset and they need to have more knowledge regarding how the recruitment system works. As mentioned by PM Lee, building the 2 casinos is a way to boost the economy. With this information on hand, we did a research for our respondents to rate the factors, whether the idea of building the casinos would boost our economy. Ranging from a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being the least while 5 being the most), 45% of the respondents believed that it will attract more tourists from various countries and 37% of them believed that it will be able to attract investors with a high rating of 5. In terms of attracting Singaporeans to gamble and foreign talents, 40% and 25% of the respondents respectively rated 4 for both. (Refer to Appendix D) This definitely shows that the respondents understand the interest of constructing the 2 casinos, therefore proving that they are not exactly clueless about the IR. Research also showed that Singaporeans are heavy gamblers and they roughly spend around US$1billion every year in casinos located overseas. Given a situation, say, by building the 2 casinos could bring this large sum of money back to Singapore, isn’t that a good way to boost economy? It is considered as a win-win solution.

3.5 Effects of Casino Gambling (As a whole) One other major problem is that people are discussing about the consequences of casino gambling. Many fear that minority of the people may be too engrossed in gambling, which will eventually lead to an increase in crime rates. For instances, loan sharking, money laundering or even prostitution. This will nevertheless tarnish Singapore’s reputation as a clean and safe country which one can live in. Most of our interviewees (70%) agree that it is possible to have an increase in crime rates. Reason being, people may commit crimes due to desperation. This is also a major concern that aroused a few debates all over Singapore. However, we are known as a country with tight security and high efficiency when it comes to resolving crimes. Even if it happens to be true, I believe that it will not affect our lives as much as it may seem to be. Furthermore, the government conducted studies overseas and it shows that our law enforcement counterparts in other jurisdictions such as Australia and UK, also, we are informed that casino-related crime can be kept under control in most cases. In addition, further findings have proven that there is no relationship between crimes and legalized gaming. Business Communication 2 Long Report Copyrighted

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Business Communication 2 2009 3.6 Effects of Casino Gambling II (Teenagers) After researching, it shows that more and more people started gambling at a young age. In a survey report done by MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS, it showed that pathological gamblers who started gambling at the age of below 18 had risen from 7% in 2005 to 18% in 2008. This leads us to the next problem, regarding on how casinos will affect the teenagers. Our results show that most of our respondents (80%) think that the casinos will influence and encourage them to gamble as it is tested and proved as an addiction. (Refer to Appendix F) Our respondents are also worried that the casinos will cause family problems and youngsters would adopt the mindset of not having any occupation in future, and that betting and gambling would be more than enough. Results showed that respondents (65%) think this way. (Refer to Appendix F) However, one of our interviewees gave us a different view towards this problem. He quoted that, “It must be important to note that the existence of a casino does not necessitate the eventual prevalence of gambling in students.” It means that starting to gamble at whatever age or being a gambling addict lies on the hands of the teenagers themselves, and not just their surroundings.

3.7 Effects of Casino Gambling III (Family Ties) Using the same survey report, we also managed to retrieve the marital statuses of the gamblers in terms of percentage. We found out that in 2008, among the gamblers, 57% are married with kids. Since more than half of those gamblers are married and have a family of their own, we came up with several choices for our respondents to voice out their opinions, on whether family-bonds will be if affected if 1 of the family-members is overly active in gambling, with a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being the least and 5 being the most). Our respondents believe that it will affect the family financially and socially as they rated 5 for both problems with 79% and 40% respectively, followed by health concern and education/job performance rated 4 with percentage of 40% for both. (Refer to Appendix E) Also, we decided to post a question for our interviewees to find out whether the job or academic performance of Singaporeans will be affected upon the building of the casinos. Most of the interviewees (60%) believe that there will be a negative impact on either job or academic performance but to just a small extent. As stated by one of our interviewee, “according to the British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007, it was found that only 0.6% of the adult population had problem gambling issues.” This clearly showed that minority of the population might be affected when the casinos are ready to function.

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Business Communication 2 2009 Thus, we can conclude that a family member with bad gambling habits will heavily affect the family financially as gamble addicts will tend to put in a large sum of money or participate in other forms of gambling. When they fall into a tunnel of debts, reality would hit them emotionally and mindsets will be filled with ways to clear their debt. They will turn to their relatives and friends, hoping that they will be willing to lend them money to clear their debts but this seldom happens. In this case, it will further frustrate them. They will become less sociable and thus affecting their social life.

3.8 Casinos’ Regulations As for Singapore residents, there is a non-refundable entrance fee of $100 for each visit to the casino. Alternatively, they can choose to purchase the annual pass at the price of $2000. According to our survey, we collated the results and discovered that 75% of the respondents believe that it will not stop gamblers from entering the casinos. The remaining 25% of them chose ‘maybe’. None of the respondents believes that the $100 entrance fee is effective enough to stop Singaporeans from going into the casinos so often. (Refer to Appendix G) Many respondents commented that Singaporeans who intends to enter the casino are rich enough to spend $100 every single time they enter, and as for those who are hardcore gamblers, we assume that the $100 will not stop them from entering either. This links back to the initial reason as to the reason for the government to post this rule. The main objective is never to allow Singaporeans to treat gambling as a way to earn a living. On top of that, they want Singaporeans would treat that expense as one of the criteria before participating in the activities held in casinos. If the government were to increase the levy, it will definitely reduce the interest of Singapore residents as they can easily travel to other countries to gamble (Batam). Travelling to Batam will cost them less than $50- including transport fees.

3.9 Respondents’ View towards Government Regulations We shall now focus on another point, whether the government’s regulations are good enough to prevent the disadvantages of compulsive gambling from happening too often. According to the results, 55% of the respondents disagree with our view. We discovered that the government came up with more regulations which would be enough to prevent the disadvantages of compulsive gambling from happening too often. (Refer to Appendix H) For instance, the minimum age to enter the casinos is stated to be 21 years-old instead of 18 years-old (all legal gaming activities are set as 18 years-old). It will decrease the percentage of teenagers for being addicted to gambling.

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Business Communication 2 2009 The government also set up a system of voluntary loss-limit. It is a measure that allows casino patrons to voluntarily set a gambling budget or limit their losses in order to prevent overgambling and chasing of losses. With this idea in hand, the amount of money gambled will be limited throughout the time period. The casinos are also not allowed to extend credit to Singapore residents. This is to reduce the risk of being troubled by the debts at any point of time due to over-gambling. Furthermore, the Casino Control Act 2006 joined force. The Act establishes the Casino Regulatory Authority of Singapore and the National Council on Problems Gambling (NCPG). It provides the licensing for the casinos and their employees, the supervision, and casino operators, the right to control. Residents who are addicted to gambling are also able to seek help from the NCPG. They provide hotline services and family counseling sessions. However, our respondents have mentioned that even with all these regulations, they strongly believe that there should still be more regulations to prevent an increase in hardcore gamblers. Therefore in our opinion, the government had not done sufficiently to prevent negative issues mentioned earlier on from happening.

3.10 Frequency of Visiting Casinos Our respondents are mostly between the ages of 16-25. We posted a question regarding whether they are interested in visiting the casinos and how frequent are they going to visit the casinos too. The results shows that only 5% of them would visit the casinos once a month or slightly more than that, 60% of them will visit once a year or slightly more or less than that, 35% of them will never visit a casino and 0% (none of them) will go once every week or slightly more or less. (Refer to Appendix I) This shows a positive reflection on the respondents, as they have little interests in gambling.

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Business Communication 2 2009 4. Conclusion This report was done in view of the upcoming casinos in Singapore. Our purpose of the report was to find out the views of Singaporeans on the establishment of the casinos in Singapore. Our respondents have given us substantial information to identify the main points of this report. All in all, the views on casino in Singapore are generally positive. The surveys and interviews conducted on the sample size of 30, brought across 3 main points – The casino will increase the job opportunities for Singaporeans, the casino will boost the economy due to an increase in tourism sector and influx of investors, and lastly, Singaporeans feel that the government had not done enough to prevent the negative issues from arising due to the establishment of casinos (eg. Social life of families with members who engages in excessive gambling) As mentioned above, we have collated the opinions and views on the 3 aspects of scope that we are focusing on. Firstly, the casino will increase the job opportunities for Singaporeans. Apart from the results we obtained, there were reports of increase in job opportunities in Singapore. We understand that there are different views on this statement. Some people feel that it would increase job for Singaporeans. On the other hand, some voiced their concerns that the job openings in the casinos will ultimately benefit the foreigners. Results have shown that majority of the people agree to the statement mentioned. Next, the casino will definitely boost the economy in Singapore. Referring to Appendix D, respondents have shown that with the upcoming casinos in Singapore, it will attract tourists and investors to invest in Singapore, and in turn, boost the economy. Lastly, we have proved that Singaporeans agree that the Government had not done enough to prevent all the negative issues that might arise due to the establishment of casinos. According to Appendix H, 55% of the respondents agreed to our statement, while the remaining 35% felt otherwise. In conclusion, the views of Singaporeans on the establishment of casinos in Singapore are generally positive, ie. They are supportive of the casinos being built in Singapore. Business Communication 2 Long Report Copyrighted

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Business Communication 2 2009 5. Recommendations To improve on the views on Singaporeans on casino in Singapore, we came up with a list of suggestions.

5.1 Entrance fee of $1000 We considered that since many Singaporeans have given their opinion that $100 is too little for entrance fee, we would collect a higher entrance fee instead. With a higher sum to pay, people will think twice if they would want to enter.

5.2 Visiting Limitation Apart from that, we feel that by limiting the number of hours that locals can stay inside, for example, one hour a day, and also limiting the number of times they can visit the casino each month, in due course, it will reduce the number of Singaporeans going bankrupt due to excessive gambling at the casino.

5.3 Refundable Deposits Next, instead of collecting the entrance fee, we can make it a deposit instead. That is, when Singaporeans pay the sum, they get it back in the end. This is to ensure that in the case they lose all their money from gambling, they would still have some money left to tide them through. With these stringent rules, people will be more hesitant when entering the casino to gamble.

5.4 Membership Another suggestion is that everyone that enters the casino has to sign up for membership before they are allowed to go through. There will be a check on their background, credibility and credit standing and to be a member, you must be of a certain financial level, of good background and have good credibility. Although this will limit the number of people that enter the casino, it will prevent addicted gamblers to enter the casinos. In a bigger picture, it will still benefit both ways, to help keep these gamblers under control.

5.5 School Education Schools can adopt a more positive and encouraging teaching method, allowing students from their young age to know the cons of gambling. Likewise for sex education, it will provide them with the information they need so that they are aware and will not make mistakes unknowingly. For example, teaching them the symptoms of compulsive gambling and how to limit themselves. Also, teaching them the purpose of creating this casino in the first place, boosting economy and attracting foreign investors, creating jobs. This is to let students have a better understanding of

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Business Communication 2 2009 casino, knowing the pros and cons of the casino, which will definitely make these students think twice before entering the casino in the future.

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Business Communication 2 2009 6. Appendixes Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

Appendix D Appendix E Appendix F Appendix G

Appendix H Appendix I

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Business Communication 2 2009 7. Questionnaire 7.1 Interview Questions – Views on casino in Singapore 1. Do you think that by having the casino, it will increase job opportunities? Why?

2. In what way do you think the casino will affect Singapore’s economy in the recession?

___ ______________

3. Do you think there is a possibility that there will be an increase in crime rates? If yes,

please state why.

4. Do you feel that Singaporeans are generally family-oriented? If yes, will having the

casino change the situation negatively?

5. With the casino in Singapore, will students be influenced to gamble too? Why?

6. Will job/academic performance be affected if more Singaporeans are gambling? How so?

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Business Communication 2 2009 7. Overall, do you feel that having a casino in Singapore is to the country’s advantage or

disadvantage? Why?

8. Are the government regulations to prevent the above issues good enough? Eg.

Singaporeans to pay $100 to enter casino. Why?

Name: __

7.2 Survey Questions

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Business Communication 2 2009 1. Please select one of the age range that you fall in. a) 16 - 25 b) 26 - 35 c) 36 - 45 d) 46 and above

2. Do you think it is advisable to build a casino in Singapore? a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Disagree d) Strong disagree

3. Do you think building a casino in Singapore will affect the reputation of her being an

“education hub”? a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Disagree d) Strong disagree

Will having a casino in Singapore create more job opportunities’ for Singaporeans? a) Yes b) No c) Maybe 4.

5. Casino will help to boost the economy by: a) Attracting tourist to visit Singapore as they will spend money on lodging and this will

then help to circulate the economy. b) Attracting Singaporeans to gamble in the casino Business Communication 2 Long Report Copyrighted

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Business Communication 2 2009 c) Give both locals and foreigners an extra form of entertainment. d) All of the above

6. In what way will it affect a family most if a member is overly active in the various forms of entertainment provided by the casino? a) Financially b) Social life c) Health d) Education/Job performance

7. In what way do you think the casino will affect teenagers the most? a)

It will influence and encourage the youngsters to gamble

b)

It will encourage youngsters to study harder to manage the casino in the future

It will cause family problems thus youngsters may adopt a very bad behavior due to the family environment. c)

Youngsters may adopt the thinking that betting & gambling will be able to feed them in the future. d)

e)

It will not affect teenagers at all.

8. Do you think that Singaporeans will enter the casino even with the $100 regulation? a) Strongly agree b) Agree

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Business Communication 2 2009 c) Disagree d) Strong disagree 9. Regardless of whether you are for or against the upcoming casino in Singapore, do you think that it is being located at the best strategic venue? a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Disagree d) Strong disagree 10. From your point of view, how often do you think you would visit the casino if you are of age? a) Once every week or slightly more or less b) Once a month or slightly more or less c) Once a year or slightly more d) Never

List of the Interviewees

Name Frz Yehao Nigel Huichin Serene Cheong Charissa

Gender M M M F F F

Age 17 18 17 17 21 20

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Race Malay Chinese Chinese Chinese Chinese Chinese

Contact Number 91800960 96603302 96264315 94779209 91015666 97825538

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Educational Institution NAFA Simei ITE Temasek Poly Singapore Poly Ngee Ann Poly Ngee Ann Poly Graduate

Business Communication 2 2009 Serene Peixian Bryan Bay Eileen Yulin

F F M F F

17 17 18 18 19

Chinese Chinese Chinese Chinese Chinese

91076965 81801010 91834116 91817542 92740038

Ngee Ann Poly Ngee Ann Poly Ngee Ann Poly Temasek Poly Singapore Poly

6. References http://integratedresorts.com.sg/gov/ http://www.stopproblemgambling.org.sg/research/01/GamblingSurveyReport2008.pdf http://www.singaporedice.com/workJobsAtMarinaBaySandsAndResortsWorldSentosa.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_in_Singapore http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/GD20Ae02.html http://www.getformesingapore.com/previous2006/150206_singaporecasinocontrolbill2006.htm

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