sigh.gif
Singapore and backstreet “illegal” gambling go hand in hand. I’m amazed by the specific enthusiam that they have for football gambling …
:bigsmile:
They won’t force the issue 
You can bet on football legally in Singapore: http://www.singaporepools.com.sg – which has been active since 1968.
And – there is a lot less backstreet “illegal” gambling in Singapore than you think. The only reason there is any illegal gambling in Singapore is because the underground bookies give you credit.
Singapore’s time is coming. 20 years ago it was very colonial in nature, as well as being very strict – the only entertainment available was eating out at hawker stalls. But today, Singapore has transformed into one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, with modern structures blending in with older buildings, the quays providing the setting for the now-throbbing nightlife, and soon there will be two new casinos, one a family resort on the isle of Sentosa, and the other in the Marina Bay area, rejuvenating an area which was beginning to look tired as residents and business moved back into the central business district.
Allowing the casinos was a great leap forward – when I spoke at a conference three years ago, I was not even allowed to mention the name Singapore when talking about the possibility of the city-state legalizing gambling. I proposed many ways in which they could control the gambling of their residents, from entrance fees (eventually set at S$100, or about $60), no bill acceptors in machines, no credit facilities, etc. – many of which eventually became part of the conditions under which casino licenses would be granted later that year.
Online casinos will equally not be permitted to accept residents of Singapore, at least not until they are satisfied that they have learned from the land-based operations and can adapt equally well to protecting their citizens online.
To be honest, I would like online gambling to be legalized now, but I accept that they must plan carefully before this can happen, much as in the past when Singapore separated from the state of Malaya, and a man often criticized for his eccentricity stood his ground and slowly but surely molded Singapore into an economic and technological powerhouse that today must be called the jewel of Southeast Asia, if not Asia as a whole.