Another 15k Singapore residents have been barred from entering Singapore’s two resort casinos. The Ministry of Community, Youth and Sports acknowledged that the number of low-income gamblers remained “small,” but chose to “move proactively to address” any increase in that number. Starting July 1, 12k low-income ComCare financial aid recipients and 3k subsidized housing recipients who are six months behind in their rent will be persona non grata on the casino premises.
Also not welcome back anytime soon is Melviana Johnson Fu, a thirty-year-old Malaysian woman sentenced this week to 10 months in prison for robbing men she met at Resorts World Sentosa. On the three separate instances for which she was charged, Mad Mel befriended a male gambler on the casino floor, which led to dinner, finishing up back at his hotel room or apartment. Then came the buyer’s remorse. One man discovered his wallet was missing S22k. Another poor sod came out of the shower to find not only his wallet gone but his trousers as well. Cruel, we know, but we like to think the third let himself be handcuffed to the bed like George Costanza in Seinfeld. We also like to think the authorities remembered to uncuff him, otherwise he’d have turned into that guy handcuffed to the bed in the movie Se7en.