Lotteries in Singapore

I feel that lotteries have been prevalent in Singapore. Many people have took up gambling in Singapore, as seen from the Singapore Pools lottery centre, having long queues when there's a 4 digits lottery on that day itself. I personally feel that lotteries is actually a good thing and a bad thing. A good thing in a sense that it helps us to relax if we are too stressed. However, it might have a bad influence as people might get easily addicted to it and bet day in and day out. In the end, this person might even become a compulsive gambler till he has marital problems and even cause him to go bankrupt.

When looking at a website, I saw that many people have took up the habit of gmabling. An evidence is in a website, saying that "Internet poker has surpassed sports betting as the most popular form of online gambling -- an industry that now takes in as much as $10 billion a year. There's one catch: playing online poker -- for money -- is illegal in the United States". It is obviously shown that people have took up playing poker. Now, on the social network website, there is also a game which millions of people all over the world play, "Texas HoldEm Poker". Even children, who were once not allowed to gamble in casinos, are able to gamble on online websites for free and without any age limit as well. These kids, if addicted, will play poker everyday and might even neglect their studies. Similarly, when they grow to become adults, they might even gamble persistently and become compulsive gamblers without a decent job. My mother, whom I interviewed, agrees with me by saying that gambling can be a way of relaxation for adults who feel stressed out from their work. Also, it might be bad as they might get addicted. She also added in a statement which I absolutely agree with, "Doing anything is fine. However, doing it to excess is not necessarily a good thing." She even quoted an example saying, "For example, a person studying to excess is not very good as he will be so obssessed with studying that he might miss out a lot of things in life, like going out to catch a movie with friends to strengthen your bonds with them,etc." I totally agree with her. Therefore, we must definitely note not to gamble to excess.

Also, lotteries are based entirely on luck. Probably, you will strike the lottery once in a lifetime. It is not common to strike the lottery. By the time you strike the lottery, let's say a thousand dollars or so, have you ever thought how much money you have wasted in your previous lotteries? Instead of wasting so much money on lotteries, why don't you use them in a more productive manner? Such as saving up your money. Occasinally, yes, you can gamble, but do not gamble too much. By the time you know it, you might have even saved up enough money for the rest of your life after retirement. Instead of depending on your children so much for money, you can use your money to support yourself and give your children a chance to save up their money. By doing so, you will also lessen the burden on your children. Therefore, let me reiterate my point that gambling is fine, but should not be done to excess.


Citations:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4801449