Chinese New Year has begun and other than receiving ang bao, we can hear the usual loud shuffling of mahjong when we visit our relatives. Furthermore, other than the adults gambling, parent also allow their children to gamble, using poker cards, with small bets ranging around 10 cents to $1. As Chinese New Year is only celebrated once a year and they feel that it is alright for the children to gamble in this special occasion. However, I beg to differ as I feel that by allowing the children to gamble, the parents are sending the wrong message to the children that gambling is good and they should do it often, since they are usually the children’s role model. In major cases, students might gamble secretly in school and over time, become addicted to gambling. Therefore, I feel that before letting the children gamble, parents should warn them that they are only allowed to gamble during this special occasion and not elsewhere or else they would be severely dealt with. Although, this solution is not foolproof, it is quite effectively as the children will think twice before engaging in gambling elsewhere.
Gambling addiction is a type of impulse-control disorder. Compulsive gamblers can’t control the impulse to gamble, even when they know their gambling is hurting themselves or their loved ones. They might even steal and rob other formoney to gamble. Gambling is all they can think about and all they want to do, no matter the consequences.
The consequences are:
-Strain relationship with closed ones
-Interfere with work and responsibilities at home
- Lead to financial problems
With the recent opening of the Resort world Sentosa’s casino on 14 February, it encourages more people to gamble in Singapore which might lead to more people borrowing money from loan sharks and might cause more family to be broken because their family members are compulsive gamblers. To solve the problem, the government agreed to implement safeguards to limit the negative impact of casino gambling. Singaporeans would be charged an entrance fee of S$100 per entry or a fee of S$2,000 per year if they wish to enter the casino. Casinos would also be prohibited from extending credit to Singaporeans. The police are also stepping up to loan sharks to assure the people that the opening of the casinos would not affect them greatly and Singapore is still a safe place to live and work in .
Individuals and families with gambling problems can ring the hotline 1800-X-GAMBLE or
"1800-9-426253" from 9am-6.30pm on Mondays and Fridays, 9am-9pm on Tuesdays to Thursdays, and 9am-6pm on Saturdays. The hotline is funded by Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society.
0 comments:
Post a Comment