Two Government Ministers have travelled to Singapore to look at the island state’s gambling industry — just three years into its legalisation.

Tourism Minister Shawn Crockwell and Attorney General Mark Pettingill are touring Singapore to look at how Bermuda can learn from the Asian gambling hub’s experience as the House of Assembly prepares to vote on whether the Island should host casinos.

Tourism income in Singapore doubled to $18 billion and visitor arrivals rocketed by nearly 50 percent after Singapore reversed its 40-year ban on casinos.

But the opening of two massive casino resorts in 2010 has also brought a string of social problems in its wake — which the city-state’s government is taking new legal steps to combat.

At the end of last year nearly 188,000 people were excluded from casinos because of gambling problems — 12,385 Singaporeans and permanent residents and nearly 126,000 foreigners.

The figures showed that the vast majority — nearly 140,000 — had asked for themselves to be banned

Singapore residents have to pay an $80 entrance fee, while foreigners enter free.

And — after a 2011 survey showed an increasing proportion of low-income gamblers betting bigger sums — Singapore banned entry to casinos for the unemployed, people on state income benefits and those who had filed for bankruptcy protection.

And there were signs in 2012 — two years in to the first opening of casinos — that the glitter was wearing off the gambling experience as casino revenues started to fall.

Jonathan Galaviz, managing director of Galaviz & Co, a Las Vegas-based tourism analysts, said: “We have been waiting for the novelty factor of Singapore’s casinos to wear off and that time may have finally come.

“Gaming revenues are sometimes a leading indicator of overall macroeconomic activity in a region. This may be a sign of things to come for South East Asia.”

Singapore — like proposals for gaming in Bermuda — has its casinos attached to hotel complexes, which also include theme parks, upscale retail areas and a host of non-gambling attractions.

The two casinos are located at Resort World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands Casino — with the Resort World development boasting four luxury hotels, a Universal Studios theme park and the world’s largest oceanarium.

The rival $5.5 billion Marina Bay Sands, owned by Las Vegas Sands, has three 55-storey towers, featuring tropical gardens, restaurants, nightclubs and major shopping outlets like Chanel, Gucci, Cartier, Prada and Patek Philippe, as well as a major convention centre.

Both resorts have provided thousands of jobs and boosted tax revenues for the Singaporean government.

But the island’s National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) said in 2011 said that the probable problem gambling rates remained “largely unchanged” from 2008, prior to the opening of the casinos.

But the NCPG added: “However, the proportion of low-income gamblers who bet large amounts has increased.

“Probable pathological gamblers are found to have higher gambling frequency and poorer self-control in gambling.

“Poorer self-control in gambling was detected among those who participated in horse racing, online and casino gambling.”

But the NCPG said that, while the median amount gambled had dropped, the average amount gambled had risen from S$176 ($134) to S$212 (nearly $166) per visit.

The NCPG said: “This is because while the majority are gambling with lower amounts, there is an increase in the proportion of gamblers betting large amounts. This is especially so for low-income gamblers.”