Prior to the opening of two of Singaporeās casino, Singaporeans can only try out their luck overseas or on cruises.
In the year 2010, we witnessed the opening of two casinos namely Resort World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands which also turns out to be one of the most expensive buildings ever constructed in theĀ WORLD.
List of most expensive buildings in the world
| Building | Total cost of construction (billion US$) |
|---|---|
| Abraj Al Bait | 15 |
| Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3 | 9.06 |
| Berlin Brandenburg Airport | 8.48 (planned) |
| Marina Bay Sands (Resort) | 5.50 |
| Apple Park | 5 |
| Resorts World Sentosa | 4.93 |
| The Cosmopolitan | 3.9 |
| One World Trade Center | 3.8 |
| Emirates Palace | 3 |
| Palace of the Parliament | 3 |
TL;DR ā Gambling Hotline: 1800-6-668-668
source:Ā Wikipedia
Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents of Singapore have to purchase an entry level for their casino visits.
- The 24 Hour Entry Levy costs S$100
- The Annual Entry Levy costs S$2,000
- Singaporean or PR starts off with a ālossā every time they choose to go to the casino.
While a certain group of Singaporeans believe in luckĀ (or feng shui), we put a little more trust in Mathematics.
- Games with theĀ best oddsĀ in the casino:Ā Blackjack, Baccarat, Craps, Roulette
- Games with theĀ worst oddsĀ in the casino:Ā Slot machines and Wheel of Fortune
- For blackjack, one has a 44 to 48% of winning in every hand.
- For slot machines, the casino has an advantage of more than 10%.
- Noticed that even with blackjack which is supposed to have the best odds, we are still on a losing side.
Hacks casinos used to make you lose more money
Knowing that the odds are in their favour, casinos only need to make gamblers spend more time in the casino to be profitable.
Most casinos make use of their design to get one to gamble more once they enter. While we are not in any possible to stop you from entering the casino, here are some pointers to take note when you enter one.
VisibleĀ cashierās cages that are easy to find
A casherās cage is where casino-goers redeem their chips in the casino. These cages are usually easy to find, to call out to your needs should you run out of money to play.
Also, they are located along the sides of the casino so that there are more rooms for game tables and slot machines.
Windowless Walls and absence of clocks
Casinos operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
With no windows, no clocks and having the whole casino constantly kept as bright as day, it removes the time element from patrons. This means that patrons will have little idea how long they have been at the casino which usually leads to them staying longer than they planned to.
With odds against them, chances are that the longer they stay, the more they lose.
Food and drinks provided
Casinos are really generous when it comes to providing food and drinks at the casino. Coupled this with nice casino waitresses who constantly attend to your need for food and drink while you gamble, being hungry and thirsty will be the last thing you will feel throughout your stay at the casino.
Hungry people might stop gambling and patrons on a bit of alcohol make rash decisions. All these are just what the casinos need.
Exits that are very hard to find
To prevent patrons from leaving, making the exit less visible is an obvious option, and requires the least effort.
Games with very low barriers to entry are strategically placed at the entrance too, to prevent patrons from leaving.
Maze-like structure
Try navigating through this!
Casinos are usually built on the maze layout which makes it incredibly difficult to leave after one visits it.
This works very well with a well-concealed exit and any additional minute spent trying to get out can be converted into dropping a few extra chips into some of the game tables along the way.
Colours to keep you awake
A sleepy patron will start having thoughts of heading home to crash.
Casinos avoid dull colours and make full use of bright colours to remove any sleepy thought in your head.
Additional oxygen
Some casinos introduce more oxygen into the casino with the help of oxygen tanks to help patrons stay awake and feel refreshed.
Editorās note: In case you are starting to find some of the above-mentioned features familiar, it is becauseĀ shopping mallsĀ adopt some of the tricks too!
See the similarities yet?
Further reading: Betting taxes in Singapore
Betting taxes include betting duty, casino tax and private lotteries. Singapore collectedĀ S$2.7 billionĀ worth of betting taxes in FY2017.
Out of the S$47 billion in tax revenue, betting taxes took up 6% of it.
To beat inflation, gambling is definitely not an option to do so.
In fact, one may end up in a higher level of debt instead of trying to beat inflation with your money.
Know of someone who is addicted to gambling? Hereās how you can help:
- ApplyĀ for exclusions and visit limit of someone whom you know, has a gambling problem.
- If you know that you have a gambling problem,Ā exclude yourselfĀ from online betting or jackpot machines
- One can also call the gambling hotline: 1800-6-668-668
