The migrant workers falling into debt traps in Singapore’s casinos
With no alternative entertainment options in the Lion City, many are literally gambling their wages away
It is 4.30am on a Saturday and Raja*, 35, is sprawled on the Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade in Singapore, watching a YouTube clip on his mobile phone. He’s had a long night and there’s still some time to go – the migrant worker from Chennai in India is waiting for subway services to begin so he can return to his dormitory some 25km away.
Raja does not have much money on him, not after a night gambling and losing S$300 (US$221) at the nearby Marina Bay Sands casino. That amounts to nearly a fifth of his monthly salary.
“I will take the taxi back if I win money. If I don’t win, I will just sleep here. Many people do that,” Raja says, despite having to work in the morning at a door company.
Around Raja, at least 20 people have made themselves comfortable on the promenade, just a few steps from the glitzy Louis Vuitton floating boutique on the Marina Bay waters. Behind them, several of their counterparts – migrant workers from Bangladesh and India – are still trying their luck at the gambling tables in the casino.
In 2010, when Singapore made the controversial decision to open two integrated resorts with casinos, one at Marina Bay Sands and the other at Resorts World Sentosa, the authorities cited investment opportunities, job creation, and tourist dollars as justifications.
