The rise of illegal gaming arcades is due to slack enforcement. Kerk added that a blanket ban is not the answer. They must distinguish between gaming machines in illegal arcades and non-gambling machines in licensed video centers. Local media have played up reports of various police and local council crackdowns on illegal arcades across the country. Some councils have even resorted to cutting water and electricity supply to shut down the arcades.
Any social problem needs to be resolved with better enforcement and education.
Get to the root of the problem first - whether it is corruption on the part of local councils or gambling addiction. Net Surfing Zone's Lim conceded that some 'bad hats' among cybercafe owners offer gambling, but such activities call for better enforcement not a total ban. Cybercafes offer a cheap means for people who can't afford computers to access the Internet. He added that the games in cybercafes are useful to introduce computer use to the young. They gradually get bored of these games and start taking a keen interest in the Internet.