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    MBS, RWS fined for social safeguard breaches

    By Fann Sim | Yahoo! Newsroom – Mon, Feb 6, 2012

    The Casino Regulatory Authority of Singapore (CRA) has fined Marina Bay Sands (MBS) $255,000 and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) $130,000 for failing to comply with social safeguard requirements.

    Both casinos failed to comply fully with the social safeguard requirements which are put in place to contain and control the potential harm of casino gambling to society. These include allowing Singaporeans without valid entry levies, persons with exclusions orders and minors to enter the casinos.

    MBS was fined for allowing six persons with casino exclusions and two minors to enter and remain in the casino.

    MBS had allowed 14 Singapore citizens and permanent residents (SCPR) to enter the casino without a valid entry levy of $100 per 24 hours. The casino had also allowed two SCPRs with expired entry levies to remain in the casino.

    Separately, RWS had allowed one person with casino exclusion and six minors to enter and remain in the casino, and was censured for allowing five other minors entry.

    CRA’s chief executive Lau Peet Meng stressed that these social safeguards are put in place to mitigate the casino's potential impact on vulnerable persons and to ring fence the casinos from potential criminal influence.

    “We are taking tough disciplinary action against the casino operators for the cases where they have failed to show due care in complying with our requirements to prevent minors and excluded persons from entering the casinos, and to ensure that entry levies are duly paid,” he said.

    “The operators will need to improve their entry systems and processes, exercise more diligence in carrying out their checks, and comply fully with our laws and regulations. CRA will not hesitate to take firm action against the operators should such incidents recur.”

    In response to CRA's fines, a RWS spokesperson told Yahoo! Singapore, "We take these lapses seriously and have reinforced security personnel and checks at the casino entrance."

    "RWS is committed to continuously review our entry systems and processes with the view of improving detection procedures," the spokesperson added.

    "It is Marina Bay Sands’ top priority to comply with all regulatory requirements in Singapore. We endeavor to do so at all times," said an MBS spokesperson.

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    • The Bukit Man
      The Bukit Man  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  3 months ago
      Doesn't it sound typical hypocrisy by not putting to practice what you preach? First preach about the good, then screw your practice. No wonder we have two untrustworthy civil service people in high office screwing the same woman.
      • ihs
        ihs 3 months ago
        @ The Bukit Man agreed on - "civil service people in high office screwing the same woman". The bitch must be servicing more than the two "pricks" ... lol.
    • always.fair
      always.fair  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  3 months ago
      Why cry over split milk. Since, the government have already approved
      the two CASINO licence. Then, in the first place you should have known
      the consequence and not wait until today, then you complaint all these
      problems. They are many problems to come and for the government to
      crack their head in the future.
      • Dean
        Dean 3 months ago
        Afterall is a Sin to operate Casino,May God bless the one who come out the idea to operate the Casino in Beautiful City of Singapore..To me, A sucess is in Positive way and not Negative..
        If there is a possibility damage to anyone, i should say,..is negative way...
      • Emeritus S. Angry Bird
        Emeritus S. Angry Bird 3 months ago
        They are no crying over split milk. This is just "sharing" of profit.
      • hmm
        hmm 3 months ago
        I can't help but to say, when the gov wants the levy and no one will be able to run away from it. But in the very first place, why is there a levy? IMO, basically there are 2 different ways for the gov to earn from the levy, it is as follows:
        1. Singaporean pay levy, company is safe.
        2. Singaporean never pay levy, company pay penalty.
        Either ways, our dear gov will still earn $$.. so do you really think that they care about what social safeguard.
    • Rrrrrrr.S
      Rrrrrrr.S  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  3 months ago
      Until now we still don,t understand why casinos got fine and we had to pay $100 to the government, gambling is between we and the casino and the government has nothing to do with it, we are going back to those bandit's days.
      • A Yahoo! User 3 months ago
        hahah...agreed. You think differently amongst the crowd.
      • DBT
        DBT 3 months ago
        The $100 is for those who can afford to 'donate' that sum to Singapore Toteboard for good cause and provide assistance to gambling addiction. The problem is neither Toteboard nor the government has given us (those who paid) the details on how much they have collected and how these money are being used. There is hardly any mention about 'real' assistance to gambling addiction. As for good cause, what we had heard todate is that "we couldn't be a welfare state". Hopefully, these money aren't being used to fund any other 'unrelated projects', such as, scholarships for foreign students, money awards for sports (eg table tennis players/team) etc and not for the benefit of 'real' Singaporeans. If the institutions continue to remain silent, Singaporeans will have more reason to doubt their real intention in balancing the benefit of the 2 IRs against the societal cost of having them.
    • Shine
      Shine  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  3 months ago
      So where do all the fines go to? In the name of transparency which the government have pledged to the people, please declare this properly and above board.
    • Chee La Kah
      Chee La Kah  •  3 months ago
      Monkeys In White got red eye coz MBS posts S$1 billion record revenue...so must 'chong kong' to add to their pay-cut salaries!
      • Ku Pa
        Ku Pa 3 months ago
        the main issue the GOV implemented for the casino is money. the rest of them is bloody excuse(create more job)
      • Simon Tan
        Simon Tan 3 months ago
        Yes Ku Pa, exactly that is. Can't agree more.
    • Rp
      Rp  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  3 months ago
      Fine only benifits the govt , why arent the directors , gm & chairman jailed ? breached law that only money value not justice
      • Ku Pa
        Ku Pa 3 months ago
        @Rp, it's will never happen "gm & chairman jailed" it's just a drama(wayang)
      • RETARDED
        RETARDED 3 months ago
        Walao ehh our court where got jail the ANG MOH directors , GM and chairman 1 ?I RETARDED also can understand la,,,,,HAHAHA
      • JonA
        JonA 3 months ago
        Do you really think Jail time is more appropriate for the directors than a fine? Why don't they just take the licence away?
    • Jonn
      Jonn  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  3 months ago
      The cancer cells already planted. No cure.
    • Rp
      Rp  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  3 months ago
      ALL WORK PERMIT HOLDERS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED & IF THEY KEEP ON LOSING IT WILL ONLY LEAD TO MORE CRIME
    • Siwala
      Siwala  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  3 months ago
      Casino got fine by Gov for social safeguard breaches. Should the Citizen fine the Gov for social safeguard fail?
    • mutucurry
      mutucurry  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  3 months ago
      With profits counting in billions, the casinos are not sweating over those small fine. Review the law and jail the directors for any related breaches if the government is really serious about wanting to protect our locals
    • Risky Low
      Risky Low  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  3 months ago
      What the fark man !!! The best safeguard is not to have approved the existence of the casinos in the very first place. People up there and yesmen fail yet again.
    • Kit
      Kit  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  3 months ago
      what do they mean by "allowing"...the ID scanners not working or there's a side door for these special guests???
    • gnow
      gnow  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  3 months ago
      MBS and RWS should be dealt a heavier fine. $255k and $130k are nothing to them. MBS just posted a $1B revenue in just one quarter.
    • A Yahoo! User  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  3 months ago
      The greedy and money hungry PAP govt is always on the prowl for every opportunity to set up NEW and unheard of agencies empowered with the full legislative power to FINE, FINE & FINE. With the "approving" of not one but TWO casinos, it's great INCOME OPPORTUNITIES for the greedy MIW (Monkeys In White) to set up the CRA, aka - Casino Regulatory Authority of Spore to "Socially Safeguard Sporeans"! Now the CRA is just another great money churning machine for the greedy PAP, just like the COE system which is largely unheard of to ALL OTHER COUNTRIES.

      The lame excuse for the opening of the two casinos is to create employment n jobs for Sporeans is pure BS bcos mainly foreigners are employed. To create Income Opportunities by imposing the ENTRY LEVY ($100) which is similar to the ERP for vehicles and the opportunities to FINE casino operators are their MAIN HIDDEN agenda. Trust me, now is $100 per head for 24 hours entry, very soon, it'll be $200, then $300 and so on by giving excuses that $100 is too small an amount to deter locals from entering the casinos...

      Besides the FINE$ imposed on the casinos, has anyone wondered how much has this $100 collected ballooned to since the opening of the two casinos and where has this huge amount of money gone to? Gone to the Lift Upgrading Projects? Gone to building the 10 hawker centres that is in the blue print? Gone to building the Circle Line? Gone to building the expressways? Gone to the needy Sporeans? OR gone to the Ministers' million dollar salaries...?
    • Stacy
      Stacy  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  3 months ago
      just my thoughts n opinion - initially i thought by having casinos in my country is good as they can be our source of money as my country doesn't had any kind of natural resources, as long term of view, perhaps my Government will use this money like bring down the MRT fares, babies accessories, help the poorer citizens, but till today i haven't see such happen.
    • jam
      jam  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  3 months ago
      SG govt agreed on putting up a casino in their homeland and now they fine them for "endangering" Sporeans?? LOL!!! What a bunch of hypocrites...
    • ...
      ...  •  3 months ago
      Since aredi have Casino , might as well setup some high class social escort agency at MBS and not forgetting opium den. Make it a VICE HUB, Must be unique so more foreigner tourist will be attracted to come . Then we can clear all their fortune and corrupt their mind & body and send them packing back home to commit suicide while we save stinkapoor economy at all cost. The foreigners are waste-able as we just want their money. Right Monkeys? AT All Cost.
    • fok
      fok  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  3 months ago
      The "regulator" has just released the casinos of some loose change and made a song and dance act about uphodling "the social safeguards and ring fence the casinos from potential criminal influence'. Bravo! Well done indeed!

      The question is how effective is the $100 per 24 hours entry fee as a deterent? To this we are not given an answer.
    • L-Pop
      L-Pop  •  3 months ago
      fine for failing to "contain and control the potential harm of casino gambling to society"?? if Gahmen really so caring, should not have allowed casinos to be opened in SG to start with.
    • JC
      JC  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  3 months ago
      The $100 entry fee is utterly unfair and is a discrimination that some needs to pay and some don't.

      Actually to pay a fee to enter a casino is unheard of around the world. Usually it's the casino to offer free meals and transportation to attract customers.

      For those gamblers they won't bother the $100 at all, they will just go. The effect to curb people from gambling is not as effective as to increase government income. If you are genuinely care about the bad influence to the locals then why open casinos in the first place?

      Sometimes you have to admit that Singapore can also be creative.
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