Casinos And Rolex Watches

All the display windows featured dazzling arrays of branded watches. I grimaced at a diamond-studded gold Rolex with disgust but turned to see you browsing with interest.

"Are they expensive?" I asked, hiding my disinterest.

"I'm not sure. Let me search for a model I'm familiar with," you replied. "How much is 6000 Macau money in Singapore dollars?"

"About $1200."

"It's cheap then. That watch has a resale value of $2000 back home," you said, pointing to a rather plain-looking Rolex.

A single Chinese character on each of the neon signboards of these watch galleries betrayed the shops' true business dealings - they were all shops that resold expensive items given to them as collaterals.

"It's not surprising to see so many of these shops here within close proximities of the Casinos. If you win money, you can buy a Rolex home; if you lose, you can try your luck again after selling off your Rolex."

I thought about the Casinos to be built in Sentosa back in Singapore and wondered if such businesses would be the future of Sentosa.