Sunday, December 10, 2006

It doesn't exactly look like Casino Royale, tucked into a far corner of a
hardly glamourous shopping centre far from Singapore's glitzy Orchard Road.
The smell of fat used by cheap food stalls lingers in the air, and the array
of shops offer kitsch and knick-knacks at bargain prices. But behind the
thick glass door and past wood-panelled walls and heavy, upholstered chairs
waits everything that makes a passionate gamblers' heart beat faster. There
are roulette, blackjack and baccarat tables, poker games and chips as far as
the eye can see. But none of the players are James Bond imitators, nor are
the vast sums being bet on the tables genuine: Real money is taboo in this
casino. The dealers are freshmen practising the arts of sorting chips,
spinning roulette balls and shuffling decks of cards - students at
Singapore's first casino school, gearing up for the approaching casino era
in the city-state. Ignatius Sharma stands at the roulette table and juggles
a tall stack of chips from one hand to the other without dropping a single
one. He pushes 10 stacks of 20 chips each across the table, first with his
left hand, then with his right. None of the stacks topples. "Now four stacks
of 20," Sharma advises his students, and the future dealers must follow his
order, using precise finger movements to push the stacks across the table.
"Now six, then eight!" Sharma instructs. Students who topple any of their
stacks must start from the beginning. "I'll never be able to do this,"
groans one. Another appeared to have overslept and didn't have time for his
morning shower, prompting a look of contempt from the teacher. "Hygiene is
an important part of the training course," Sharma says. Hairstyles, makeup,
fingernails and attire need to be neat. "Casino guests are expecting
well-groomed staff," Sharma stresses. Singapore will move into the domain of
gambling paradises by 2009 with the construction of two casino resorts after
having argued over the plan for years because of concerns that the rigid
city-state might degenerate into a sinful place. But the tiny country wants
its slice of the lucrative pie. It is estimated that the two planned casinos
would contribute more than 1.4 billion dollars per annum to Singapore's
gross domestic product, and a minimum of 35,000 staff will be needed to run
them. And the recently established Club Gambling Training Centre is where
many of them will learn the tricks of their new trade with the first class
slated to graduate in January.

Unlike the motley new group of chip jugglers, the pioneering class is
smartly dressed in black slacks or skirts, white shirts or blouses,
waistcoats and bow ties. Their advanced level of skill is apparent as well.

The motto for all students is "practise, practise, practise." One day, all
the calculating and hand movements will come naturally.

The school's director, Ramachandar Siva, sets high standards with his
six-month training courses, which costs each student about 5,000 Singapore
dollars (3,300 US dollars).

"We not only teach dealing techniques, but we also advise our students how
to handle gamblers who have just lost their shirts," he says.

"Don't joke about players' losses, not even after work, because he might
eventually learn about it," Siva warns.

The students also are taught an array of cheating tricks so they will be
able to recognize and prevent them.

"Many casinos are not doing that because they are afraid croupiers might
teach those tricks to their uncles," Siva smirks.

Students also learn to expose the palms of their hands after each handling
of cards or chips and to never accept either directly from the hands of
anyone else. Everything must be laid down on the table.

"During shopping, I sometimes jerk back my hand in shock when the cashier
wants to give me my change. I'm just so used to it," chuckles instructor
Darwin Cusi.

Students are also being taught to detect compulsive gambling.

Singapore's casino laws are rather strict. Gambling houses are obligated to
identify gamblers who have become addicted and get help for them.

Most of the students who will graduate in January want to try to find
employment in casinos in neighbouring Malaysia, Macau or Australia to gain
further experience.

When things finally kick off in Singapore in 2009, these young people
already want to have climbed up the management ladder.

Among them is talented Eddie Goh, 39, who is already talking like he has a
number of junior dealers under his wings.

"It's important in a casino to start at the bottom because it helps to be
better than my junior croupiers," he says.