BKT
I've been told there's a casino being opened soon in Nusa Dua, they'll also have a theatre as well. My fiance was suppose to go for an audition as a cabaret dancer there today but rain forced us to stay home.
Jesse
With the Indonesian law restricting any casino establishment, there will be no chance of any public opening for any casino in Bali. Maybe there are but just for private members which is not for open business like in Vegas.
yang peduli
[U][B]Quote Jakarta Globe[/B][/U]
[B]March 30, 2010 [/B]
Camelia Pasandaran & Ulma Haryanto
[B]‘Victims’ of Indonesia's Gambling Law Seek Review, Saying Prohibition a Question of Faith[/B]
Any prohibition against gambling should be based on religion alone and not enforced against non-Muslims, according to two men who filed a request at the Constitutional Court for a judicial review of the 1974 law prohibiting gambling.
Applicants Suyud and Halim Datkui said on Tuesday that the request had been filed through their lawyer, Farhat Abbas. They argued that the Muslim prohibition against gambling shouldn’t be enforced through state law.
“My client, Halim Datkui, is a Chinese non-Muslim who believes the law should not be applied to him. He is not forbidden by his religion to gamble, so why should he suffer,” Farhat said, adding that his other client, Suyud, had been “victimized” by the law.
“Suyud was caught during a card game. He bet just Rp 50,000 [$5.50]. He was jailed for four months and 10 days. His family was torn apart and he picked up a skin disease during imprisonment,” Farhat said.
Under Indonesian law, gambling is punishable by a maximum prison term of 10 years. Farhat said the court should either annul or revise the law, possibly by enforcing it only against Muslims. The Bible, he claimed, does not specifically forbid gambling.
Father Dani Sanusi, of the Indonesian Bishops Conference, said religions may not always explicitly address gambling, but most are against it.
“Almost every religion is against gambling. It is said in Christianity that you cannot take your neighbor’s money,” Dani said. “We will respect any decision by the Constitutional Court, but morally I think it is our responsibility to appeal to our religious communities.”
Budi Santosa Tanuwibawa, of Matakin, or the High Council of Confucianism, said gambling is not explicitly forbidden by Confucianism. “But we forbid irresponsible actions, including those that corrupt someone’s future, health and economy,” Budi said.
Syafi’i Anwar, of the International Center for Islam and Pluralism, said that even though Islam might be the only religion explicitly prohibiting its followers from gambling, all religions would want to protect their followers from negative behavior. “Gambling is a negative habit. You don’t have to base it on a specific religious teaching. It is just common sense,” he said.
Even as gambling is legally banned here, its existence is evident nationwide. Illegal gambling dens can be found in many parts of Jakarta. However, while big time gamblers usually manage to evade arrest, small-timers normally do not.
In a controversial ruling last July, a court in Tangerang found 10 children, all between the ages of 12 and 16, guilty of gambling. The children, who worked illegally shining shoes, were arrested in a parking area at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport for playing a coin-toss game.
