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SUNDAY, JULY 16, 2017 Adelle Chua, Editor
Opinion
Joyce Pangco Pañares, Issue Editor
mst.daydesk@gmail.com
JAPAN MAY CRIPPLE ITS CASINOS
EDITORIAL
ABANDONING A CLAIM
O
By David Bonnet WHEN Japan’s parliament legalized casino gambling last year, it created a wave of excitement among casino operators and institutional investors. But sensitivities about gambling addiction have now focused the policy discussion on a concept known as responsible gaming. This is industry terminology for programs designed to deter customers with known gambling problems from entering casinos. Although wellintentioned, lawmakers are risking a litany of unintended consequences with these policies. Casinos could be an economic boon for Japan. By one estimate, they could bring in $25 billion a year in revenue. Yet lawmakers are now considering restrictions that could jeopardize those benefits. These include banning cash machines on casino floors, restricting credit card purchases of casino chips to foreign customers only, prohibiting casinos from extending credit to domestic customers, limiting how often domestic customers can visit gambling houses, and prohibiting Macau-style VIP junkets. The extent to which such measures could reduce problem gambling is debatable, especially since Japan’s gamblers already have plenty of other options, including horse racing and pachinko. But one thing is certain: They’d cripple Japan’s casino industry before it could get off the ground. One problem is that restricting casinos from lending to their own customers means that third-party creditors will fill the void. Japan has a long history of syndicated money-lending at pachinko parlors, and of organized criminal groups attempting to collect debts from insolvent gamblers. If casino patrons had to seek outside sources of credit, they’d be more likely to become targets for these groups. “The Japanese police have been using new organized crime exclusionary ordinances to clamp down on traditional sources of income for Yakuza groups,” said David Suzuki of the private security firm Blackpeak Group in an interview. “I believe they see the legalization of casino gambling as a massive, historic opportunity to resuscitate themselves.” Customers who borrow directly from a casino can also rest assured that any debt collection will be handled through the collections department or a relevant jurisdiction’s courts— and not through intimidation or other illegal methods. But these best practices are in jeopardy if traditional casino credit functions are outsourced to third parties. More important, from a business perspective, is that implementing restrictive lending practices would significantly reduce casino revenue. Casinos function much like financial institutions. Both handle customer accounts, extend credit and collect on unsettled debts. Gaming chips are company obligations—much like bank notes. In that regard, casinos provide substantial financial liquidity, not only for gambling but also for related businesses, such as restaurants, bars and entertainment. Limiting cash in a casino is analogous to limiting beer in a bar—it just doesn’t work.
that time, were lost to the novelty of the Duterte administration. A few months hence, we started getting a sense of the new President’s bent. As he blasted traditional allies like the United States and the United Nations, he became friendlier toward China. He never brought up the enforcement of the arbitral ruling in any of their meetings. There was, instead, mention of joint explorations in the disputed territory. Perhaps Mr. Duterte is being realistic; he knows that militarily, we are no match to our giant neighbor. Thus we cannot afford to challenge it openly. Still, we look to our President for leadership when it comes to protecting what is rightfully ours. Territory is essential to sovereignty—how can we be credible as this year’s leader of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, for instance, when we appear to cower before China? How can we get anybody to take our President’s tough talk seriously? It’s not threatening an ally or looking for war. We will remain friendly and congenial and fair to all. But we have to manifest, by words and actions, that we know our rights and we will not stand down when these rights are trampled over even—especially—by those who claim to be our friends. Respect is not demanded, we agree. It is earned. We hope that amid all the other problems the nation is facing, Mr. Duterte will find it in his heart to let the Philippines earn the respect of the international community by acknowledging last year’s victory and ensuring there is no turning back from here.
NE year ago, the Philippines scored a victory at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. The arbitration court ruled in our favor with regard to historic rights and entitlements in the South China Sea and the lawfulness of certain actions by China, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
China, of course, said it would not have anything to do with the case because the court had no jurisdiction over it. The court later ruled that a party’s refusal to participate would not be a hindrance to the proceedings. And so the case was tried. According to the PCA, China did not have legal basis to claim resources to the disputed territory it says is covered by its nine-dash line. The implications of the decision, at
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DEGAS’ AND THE IMPRESSIONISTS’ LOVE OF HATS POP GOES THE WORLD JENNY ORTUOSTE
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA—It’s always interesting when an art show has an unusual theme, and “Degas, Impressionism, and the Millinery Trade” at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco is drawing people eager to see artworks and hats from a period spanning the late 1800s to the turn of the century.
The day I saw the exhibit, among the visitors was a group of women dressed in ‘40s and ‘50s retro. They wore hats and wide and voluminous skirts reminiscent of Dior’s post-war “New Look” style. They’d come to gaze and be gazed at themselves as tangible manifestations of the days when one had to
wear a hat when going outdoors. The hats on display ranged widely in design and purpose. Tiny bonnets meant to perch on top of the head dangled long ribbons for tying under the chin. On the front of a toque was pinned a taxidermied African starling with gorgeous peacock-blue feathers.
A wide-brimmed straw hat was festooned with lovely pink silk roses and a pale blue bow. Clearly some hats were decorative while others were more functional. Today, such hats seem inconvenient Turn to B2
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