Sands and Genting Fined

Singapore has built safeguards to limit the social impact of gambling....

Did Singapore take this action to protect its residents from the destruction of Gambling Addiction?

Singapore fines casinos for breaching social safeguard requirements *new!
Posted on February 7, 2012, Tuesday

SINGAPORE: The Casino Regulatory Authority of Singapore has fined the city state’s two casino operators for breaching social safeguard requirements that had been put in place to prevent the casinos from targeting the local markets; Xinhua quoted the authority as saying on Monday.

The authority said it imposed penalties of S$255,000 on Marina Bay Sands, while Resorts World Sentosa was fined S$130,000.

Between August 2010 and April 2011, the Marina Bay Sands had let in 14 Singapore citizens and permanent residents without valid entry levies, while Resorts World Sentosa let in five.

Marina Bay Sands also allowed two Singaporeans and permanent residents with expired entry levies to remain in the casino, while Resorts World Sentosa did so with three persons.

Separately, Marina Bay Sands let in six persons on exclusion orders, and Resorts World Sentosa let in one.

Marina Bay Sands was fined for letting in two minors, while Resorts World Sentosa let in six minors and was also separately censured for five cases of similar breaches.

The casinos, known as integrated resorts as they come with shopping malls, recreation facilities and hotels, were inaugurated in 2010. Within two years, they have made Singapore’s one of the world’s top three gaming markets.

Singapore currently imposed a day levy of S$100 or an annual levy of S$2,000 on citizens or permanent residents no less than 21 years old. The entry levies are not refundable.

Those under the age of 21 are not allowed in the casinos.

Lau Peet Meng, chief executive of the authority, said the social safeguards were 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.

It was the first case of disciplinary action taken since rules were tightened in November last year to make sure the casinos do not target the domestic market in their marketing and promotions.

The building of the casinos has been controversial to a certain extent as some had opposed the plan on the ground that they may create more social problems. A study on their social impact is expected to be released soon.


Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/02/07/singapore-fines-casinos-for-breaching-social-safeguard-requirements-new/#ixzz1ljYsR4Nb

More:

MBS and RWS slapped with fines for breaching social safeguard requirements

Both Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa have been slapped with heavy fines for breaching social safeguard requirements.

Local media reports said Marina Bay Sands (MBS) was fined $255,000, while Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) was imposed financial penalties of $130,000.

The offences include allowing people to remain who managed to enter the gambling hall despite being disallowed into the casinos, allowing Singaporeans and permanent residents to enter the casinos without paying the $100 entry levy, and allowing minors in.

The Straits Times reported that altogether 44 instances of breaching social safeguard requirements were held against both casinos.

Chief executive of the Casino Regulatory Authority of Singapore (CRA), Lau Peet Meng, said, "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.

"Hence, 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."

This is the first case of disciplinary action taken since rules were tightened in November 2011 to ensure casinos do not target the domestic market.


MBS, RWS fined for breaching Casino Act

SINGAPORE - Casino operators Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and Resorts World Singapore (RWS) have been fined for breaching the Casino Control Act.

MBS was fined S$255,000 for breaches from Oct 28, 2010, to April 30 last year and RWS was fined S$130,000 for breaches from Aug 15, 2010, to April 30 last year, said the Casino Regulatory Authority of Singapore (CRA) said in a statement yesterday.

The CRA noted the operators "did not comply fully with the social safeguard requirements".

It said MBS allowed two minors, six people under exclusion orders and 16 Singapore citizens and permanent residents without valid entry levies to enter and/or remain at the casino.

RWS, on the other hand, allowed six minors, one person under an exclusion order, and eight Singapore citizens and permanent residents without valid entry levies to enter and/or remain at the casino.

RWS was also censured for allowing five minors to enter and/or remain at the casino.

"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," said CRA chief executive Lau Peet Meng.

Said an RWS spokesperson: "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."

RWS was fined half a million dollars in May last year for four regulation breaches.

A Marina Bay Sands spokesperson said: "It is Marina Bay Sands' top priority to comply with all regulatory requirements."

The Wall Street Journal, quoting Las Vegas Sands chairman Sheldon Adelson, reported on Friday that local visitors to MBS' casino have declined to 20 per cent, from 38 per cent in October 2010.

This is an acknowledgement of the impact of Gambling on the local population.

Singapore Regulator Fines Casinos S$385,000 For Entry Breaches


2 casinos fined total of $385,000 for lax entry safeguards
By Ng Kai Ling

The two casinos have been dealt penalties amounting to $385,000 for allowing a total of 44 people to enter or be on their premises when they had no business being there.

Of the 44, 19 were Singaporeans or permanent residents who had entered the gaming halls without having paid the $100 entry levy.

Another five were gamblers who had paid the levy, but stayed beyond the 24 hours that the levy entitled them to.

Seven others were let into the casinos when they were on exclusion orders and should therefore have been barred from entry; the remaining 13 were aged 21 or under.



Singapore says casino-related crime well under control

Singapore has built safeguards to limit the social impact of gambling but local newspapers have reported incidents of stealing and cheating due to debt incurred at the casinos. The government levies a S$100 daily charge for citizens and permanent residents entering the casinos.

There are logical reasons for Singapore to do so in order to protect their residents.

"The cases are mostly petty crime cases, not organised... We are closely monitoring casino crimes and so far we can say that the situation there is well under control," director of public affairs Ng Guat Ting told a news conference.

The Singapore police said 282 cases were reported in casino gaming halls last year, slightly down from 299 in 2010. For the whole of Singapore, the number of reported cases in 2011 fell 5.3 percent to 31,404 -- the lowest figure in 20 years.

Last Vegas Sands opened its Singapore property in April 2010 while Genting Singapore (GENS.SI), which runs the city-state's other casino, started operations in February 2010.
(Reporting by Kevin Lim; Editing by Anshuman Daga)