A wise dude once said, If you ain’t up on thangs… That dude was Snoop Doggy Dogg the Dogfather and he was likely talking about bitches and ho’s. I however, am talking about the mechanisms with which governments across the globe are implementing to raise revenue in today’s economy and the trend to move towards tapping into the Asian markets.
But first, if you had a choice to make a bet on who would make national gambling legislative changes first, between a country which has banned gambling for the past forty years and the United States, who would you bet on?
If you took the obvious but uniformed choice of the United States, you’d be as dead wrong as a man in a wedding dress. Singapore lifted its forty year long ban on gambling and is set to open its first casino on February 14th, or as the day is now commonly known, Valentine’s day, or Dooms day for the playas. Whatever day you call it, it will be a history making day for Singapore and a wake up call for a number of countries fumbling over the gambling issue. Read more.
The move by Singapore to me, signals a number of key trends. The most obvious of which is that governments are becoming more and more inclined to turn to the gambling industry, be it online or on land, to raise revenue. The next trend that is becoming apparent is the move toward Asian gambling markets and clientele. Singapore’s resort style casinos are specifically designed to attract wealthy Asian gamblers. There must be a fire sale on wealthy Asian gamblers, enough to lift a forty year old ban. Is there really that many? So many, that people are literally tripping over wealthy Asian gamblers in the street? Maybe, because the move to Asian markets is in full swing, just take a look at current situation with MGM Mirage and their plans to haul ass out of Atlantic City. It’s no surprise that they intend to head to Macau to also take advantage of the Asian gambling market.
Interestingly enough, Singapore has designed its casinos to compete with Macau for what is quickly becoming a coveted Asian market. Who knows what the fuck the Chinese are doing with their witch hunts. One would think they would be in the best position to take advantage of the market, but perhaps that explains the Chinese’s actions. They don’t want any outsiders getting a piece of the pie, and they’re willing to severely punish anyone caught with their finger in the gambling cookie jar. The commies certainly have questionable methods, but there’s always a means to an end, or in this case a mean way to make ends.
