Lately, both MCA and MIC have shown support for sports betting, albeit regulated. Their main contentions are that with regulated betting, the illegal market would be reduced or eradicated and it would also create a new revenue stream for the government.

This comment coming from two parties who are supposed to have their communities at heart is totally uncalled for. They are actually digging deeper graves for themselves.

Already many non-Muslims are addicted to gambling. One can see the great number flocking to betting outlets every 4D draw day. And if we add sports betting, the number of addicts will only grow bigger. Is that what MIC and MCA want for their communities?

Introducing sports betting is akin to adding another drug to the market. A society addicted to drugs is surely heading for destruction. For those who can recall the opium war in China, it was caused by the Chinese opposition to stop the British from trying to sell opium to China. And opium was supposedly used to weaken the Chinese through addiction and at the same time bring in revenue to the British.

Thus there is no difference between addiction to opium and addiction to gambling. Sports betting will definitely bring in revenue to the government but at the same time it will ruin the lives of many.

If revenue is what the government is looking for by whatever means, there are quite a few ways that I can think of. As many have pointed out, prostitution is illegal. Why not legalise and regulate it? In doing so the government could collect taxes from the operators of brothels and at the same time health officers could keep track of the prostitutes who have to undergo regular medical checkups.

This would ensure that venereal diseases like syphilis and what have you, are kept at bay or reduced and thereby save us a lot of money on our increasing health budget.

Another source of income for the government lies in VCD and DVD pornography. Again if this trade is legalised, by the same token the authority should be able to regulate it and thereby reduce the illegal activities. On top of that, the authority should be able to collect taxes from vendors and producers.

Both MIC and MCA believe that regulated sports betting would do lots of good things to the country. The word 'regulated' tickles me. For a start, the government will come out with lots of regulation like under-aged and Muslims not being allowed to bet. It may restrict trading hours for those betting outlets.

Often, it has a good start but over a period of time, all those regulations go down the drain. Let me cite a few examples.

Shopkeepers are by law not allowed to sell cigarettes to anyone under 18, correct me if I am wrong. If one were to hang around a shop, students in uniform can be seen buying cigarettes so freely without worrying about interference from authorities. Actually this regulation was to counter the increasing number juvenile smokers, but the reverse is happening, to the extent where the authorities are forbidding manufacturers from producing 14-stick cigarette packs. Will it work this time? I doubt it.

Another regulation that is flouted openly is the price tag on goods. Just walk into any wet market in the country and you will see that most of the price tags are missing.

What about drink driving? When it was first introduced, almost every day we could read that so and so was caught drink driving. At almost every corner of the road, police were manning road blocks ready with their breath analysers. Where have the analysers gone now? The same goes for tinted glass and fanciful number plates.

Oh, and there are a lot more regulations that are not effectively enforced but I am tired of quoting them. With the hindsight of so many unenforced regulations, do you think sports betting can be effectively regulated? Your guess is as good as mine.