In Parliament, PAP MP for Moulmein-Kallang GRC, Denise Phua said that it is time for Singapore to reject gambling, in all forms.
She asked when Singapore would start to wean itself off the casino industry and eventually get rid of them.
Ms Phua was speaking during the debate on the bill to ban remote gambling. She said that we should reject all gambling, not just remote gambling.
"Just as we are bold enough to explicitly stand by principles such as the family is the first port of call for help; that extra marital relationships are not encouraged; we need to express our stand on licensed gambling in Singapore, whether online or via brick-and-mortar casinos," she said.
In her speech, she pointed out that the government decided to allow the casinos into Singapore 10 years ago as there was a recession and it could help save jobs and stimulate the economy at that time. However now, it is time for the government to discourage gambling as an economic or social activity.
Ms Phua went on to talk about the other, indirect, negative effects of the casinos such as competing for manpower with local SMEs.
She also suggested that in the meantime, the entry fee be raised above $100 to discourage more Singaporeans from going.