The Resorts World Sentosa casino opened to much fanfare during the Chinese New Year period. I had originally planned to check it out then, but judging by the news reports of the hoards that thronged it, the idea was shelved. There was no definite date set for the visit, I generally do not make plans way ahead of time, might make an exception if Kate Beckinsale proposes a date or if you are my boss. Anyway, in the mood to gamble, my buddy and I decided to head down to Sentosa last Friday.

The train ride to Harbourfront seemed to take longer than usual, probably due to our impatience. The bus ride was not much better either, with the bus captain driving like the accelerator sent volts of electricity shooting up his body each time he applied pressure. After what seemed like an eternity, we were finally greeted by the bright lights of the integrated resort (and the casino). To our surprise, there were at least fifty people queueing up to purchase a levy to enter the casino at 2230 hours on a Friday night.  I muttered “I want to start my own casino, where do I sign up?” before realising that my personal wealth would have to be multiplied by a million times before I would be able to accomplish that.

After being fleeced of a hundred dollars each, we made our way in. We did the mundane thing of applying for membership as well as the not-so mundane thing of ogling at the gorgeous lady who served us. The main gaming hall was massive but we headed to the section for Singaporeans and Permanent Residents only as the crowds seemed smaller. Unfortunately, it was the smoking area as well and we moved a wee bit closer to contracting lung cancer. The affluence of Singaporeans was well illustrated by the countless 500 dollar chips being wagered, my buddy and I felt like paupers in comparison to the gambling aficionados around us. Despite their wealth, they are stingy as no one bothered to tip, although the levy might have played a part in that. I would love to write more, but my memory of the night is hazy, clouded by the thick veil of second hand smoke that permeated the room. We left after a few hours, I was up a hundred dollars, but that was negated by the levy imposed.

Since the levy was valid for 24 hours, I went for a few more rolls of the dice twenty-one hours later and I saw a lot of familiar faces . I guess there are a lot of hardcore gamblers in Singapore. Being the glutton that I am, I had to sample the fare offered there. The food is affordable but tastes rather average, at least the Chicken Rice and Laksa are. I wanted to savour the Beef Kway Teow as well, but the last portion was sold to the chap ahead of me. I left the casino fifty dollars richer, but mulling the almanac prediction for my zodiac sign, which stated that it would not be a prosperous year ahead. Oh well, I am thankful that I did not lose all my capital.