Copyright © 2017 SIM University COR160 Essential Academic Writing Skills Tutor-Marked Assignment 02 January 2017 SemesterCOR160 Tutor-Marked Assignment SIM UNIVERSITY Tutor-Marked Assignment – Page 2 of 9 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT 02 This tutor-marked assignment is worth 45% of the final mark for COR160 Essential Academic Writing Skills. The cut-off date for this assignment is 2355hrs on 14 April 2017. __________________________________________________________________________ Submit your solution document in the form of a single MS Word file on or before the cut-off date shown above. Additional instructions: 1. You will need to indicate clearly on the front page your name, student ID, course title and assignment number. Note also the following:  Spacing (between the lines): 1.5 or double spacing  Font style: Arial or Times New Roman preferred  Font size: 12 preferred (min 11 and max 13) 2. Summarise using your own words as much as possible. You must document all information that you use from another source, or you will be penalized severely. You must acknowledge these by using the APA documentation style. This includes both intext citations and end-of-text referencing. 3. If you copy from the work of another student, regardless of the course or programme, you will be severely penalized. You are not permitted to re-use material from past assignments whether in part or in full. All of the above actions can result in your failing the TMA. *Remember that accurate and proper documentation of information from secondary sources is essential because UniSIM takes a very serious view on plagiarism. All information from secondary sources will be detected by the Turnitin software that your assignment will be put through in Blackboard and anything that is not acknowledged and properly documented will be taken as an instance of plagiarism and your assignment may be failed. Scope You will find chapters 12a (Critical Reading), 12b (Summary, Paraphrase, Quotation), 12c (Synthesizing) and 12d (Synthesizing Sources) in your COR160 textbook useful. Refer also to the relevant on-line study units.COR160 Tutor-Marked Assignment SIM UNIVERSITY Tutor-Marked Assignment – Page 3 of 9 Learning outcomes  Cite sources in writing using the proper citation and referencing style.  Evaluate information critically from various sources to respond to a task.  Synthesise information from various sources in writing in response to a given task.  Develop a rhetorical structure of an essay.  Apply persuasive argumentative writing strategies in response to a given task. Question 1 OPINION The Straits Times says Resolving online betting dilemma PUBLISHED OCT 8, 2016, 5:00 AM SGT The cautious approach of the State towards legalised gambling had earlier prevented Singapore Pools and Turf Club from offering online gambling options to local punters. But they have now got the green light. The pervasiveness of Internet usage and the practical difficulty of monitoring netizens' activities has made the Remote Gambling Act, which forbids online and phone gambling, something of an anachronism. But conservative societies are loath to give free play to gambling, given the social ills that can arise, such as addiction, impoverishment of families and organised crime. Even when restrictions are not wholly effective, these are sometimes kept in place for symbolic reasons. Apart from allowing illegal bookies to grow without competition via the Net, barring legal players can lead to other unwanted results. The United States, for example, lost a dispute with the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, after the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruled that the US policy of outlawing online gambling violated the Caribbean nation's right to make a handsome living from legal cross-border gambling services. The tiny nation has hosted online casinos since 1994 but business dipped after US restrictions. Curiously, the WTO allowed Antigua to suspend US copyrights, after over a decade of wrangling, so the islands could compensate themselves (for the loss of American punters) by selling pirated US content to the world at discounted prices. Online betting issues are no less tangled within a country's borders. Some American states permit it, while the federal authorities crack down on it. Another contradiction was when backers of an American anti-online gambling Bill, sponsored by some brick-and-mortar casino owners, described the virtual activity as "so offensive and wrong", while remaining silent about real-world gambling.COR160 Tutor-Marked Assignment SIM UNIVERSITY Tutor-Marked Assignment – Page 4 of 9 Given the mix of social and economic arguments pitched, it is necessary to pick one's way carefully through the dilemmas created by gambling. Curbing all forms of it on moral grounds can create other hazards – like the underground mischief and violence of loan sharks. In the absence of acceptable alternatives to satisfy the gambling impulse among a large section of the population, illegal bookies would rake it in. They might use their ill-gotten gains for other illicit activities or launder money in market-distorting ways. Such realism has brought certain forms of gambling here under a regulatory framework, to ensure that taxes are paid and proceeds are channelled to a host of valuable social, sport and charitable causes. Alongside these, a range of measures has been emplaced to help deal with problem gambling. These are practical ways of dealing with the social phenomenon of online gaming. Granting Pools and Turf Club access to the medium is a tactical way of counteracting the efforts of illegal bookies to keep punters in their own pockets.  A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 08, 2016, with the headline 'Resolving online betting dilemma'. There has been much debate in the Singapore Parliament and public sphere with regard to the recent move by the Singapore government to allow two lottery operators here to offer online betting. The two articles provided below reflect some of the debate regarding this issue. Should the government allow the two lottery operators to offer online betting? In about 1000 words, write a persuasive argumentative essay defending your position in order to argue for your particular stance on this issue. Other than providing supporting arguments for the position you take on this issue, you MUST anticipate objections and provide counterarguments to write the paper. Relevant information for you to gather would be:  Definition of online betting  Issues (moral, ethical, social and etc.) surrounding the government allowing the two lottery operators to offer online betting  Arguments for upholding the government’s decision to allow the two lottery operators to offer online betting  Arguments against upholding the government’s decision to allow the two lottery operators to offer online betting (100 marks) Guidance Notes 1. Your reasoning must be good. 2. Strengthen your argument with relevant examples and illustrations. 3. You may include any additional but relevant information to the ideas that have already been given in the scenario and articles.COR160 Tutor-Marked Assignment SIM UNIVERSITY Tutor-Marked Assignment – Page 5 of 9 4. You should use at least 7 research sources to help you write your essay. The given articles are considered as a separate research source each and can count towards the 7 research sources. 5. You are to use credible and reliable sources to help you write this essay. Marks will be deducted for non-credible and unreliable content. 6. Remember to use accurate grammar, correct sentence structures and a tone appropriate to academic writing. Marks will be deducted for poor English.COR160 Tutor-Marked Assignment SIM UNIVERSITY Tutor-Marked Assignment – Page 6 of 9 Article 1: Regulated online betting safer for users: Minister PUBLISHED OCT 7, 2016, 5:00 AM SGT Having tightly controlled outlet lets Govt moderate any problems, says Tan Chuan-Jin By: Zhaki Abdullah Allowing two local lottery operators to offer online betting provides a regulated and safer platform for gamblers, said Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin yesterday. His remarks came a day after the National Council of Churches Singapore (NCCS) voiced its concern over last week's decision to allow Singapore Pools and Turf Club to offer bets online. It said the move sent "confusing and conflicting signals" given that the Remote Gambling Act, which kicked in last year in February, banned all other forms of online betting. Asked to respond to this comment, Mr Tan stressed that the Government shares the concerns of anti-gambling and religious groups over problem gambling. But he said that despite the new laws against illegal online betting, "you will not completely eradicate the problem," adding that "it is there and it is growing." "You can close down sites, but new sites will be set up, sometimes faster than you can close them down," he told Channel NewsAsia. "It is a global market with a lot of money to be made, and the worst thing is that it is unregulated and there are no safety measures in place." People will continue to be drawn to these sites, and "we want to look out for those individuals." Which is why it was decided to have "a tightly controlled outlet" through which the Government can moderate any problems, and prevent it from growing more than it should, Mr Tan said. Those who want to gamble online on the legal platforms must be at least 21 years old, and will have to set daily gambling limits. They will also not be able to place bets on credit. An existing exclusion regime, which allows families to bar their loved ones from casinos, would also be in place for online betting. Mr Tan said he was encouraged by the examples of Hong Kong and Norway which also allow a small number of legal online betting operators. "What they've found is that it hasn'tCOR160 Tutor-Marked Assignment SIM UNIVERSITY Tutor-Marked Assignment – Page 7 of 9 exacerbated the situation at all," he explained, pointing out that Singapore rules are even stricter. Mr Tan, who said his ministry had consulted NCCS in 2014 and that he too had recently been in touch with voluntary welfare organisations and religious groups, repeatedly highlighted during the interview how having a regulated online betting regime was the best compromise. "If we don't have this environment, what it means is that those who seek to bypass existing bans that are in place will then operate in a place that is completely unfettered," he said. "And I think that is quite dangerous, because they are exposed to criminal elements as well, over and above the social ills that come with gambling. So it is really a combination of these measures that we think would be one way to deal with the potential growing problem." A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 07, 2016, with the headline 'Regulated online betting safer for users: Minister'.COR160 Tutor-Marked Assignment SIM UNIVERSITY Tutor-Marked Assignment – Page 8 of 9 Article 2: Online betting: Fear of rise in addiction PUBLISHED SEP 15, 2016, 5:00 AM SGT By: Ng Huiwen Social workers and consumers alike have expressed concern over a possible move to let lottery operators Singapore Pools and the Singapore Turf Club run online betting services. While some consumers welcome the convenience of such services, they noted that this may spark a rise in gambling addiction problems, especially among the young. Mr Alan Lee, a photographer, believes that such online betting services could encourage recreational punters to place bets more frequently. "Gambling can be addictive, and if it becomes too easily accessible from the comfort of one's home, then it will be tempting to bet more often," said Mr Lee, 57, who buys 4-D tickets occasionally. He added that public education efforts, especially in schools and community centres, should be strengthened. Calling the move "a bad idea", driver Mohd Halim, 40, said the young, who are more Internet savvy, would become more prone to gambling for fun. Ms Deborah Queck, 48, who counsels gambling addicts at non-profit organisation Eternal Grace Community Services, said: "The danger is not just addiction, especially among the younger generation who lack self-discipline. "There's also the danger of debt issues and them turning to stealing to repay their debts." Mr S. Iswaran, who was then Second Minister for Home Affairs, noted two years ago that an exemption to a blanket ban on online gambling in no way relaxed Singapore's stance against the vice. Pointing out how the activity could be driven underground, he noted that the exemption was instead "part of an ecosystem that seeks to minimise the law and order concerns, and social consequences that we are concerned about". Financial adviser Nicholas Lee, 28, who has bet on football games and Toto, said he would use the online service if it is not too inconvenient to set up an account. "When I tried to set up a membership account with Singapore Pools, it required a proof of income statement. That was too much of a hassle," he said, referring to a service that allows people to place bets with Singapore Pools over the phone after setting up a membership account. Bank manager Sendha Arumugam, however, is not keen on using the service.COR160 Tutor-Marked Assignment SIM UNIVERSITY Tutor-Marked Assignment – Page 9 of 9 The 43-year-old, who bets on Toto once in a while, was concerned about fake websites. She said: "It could be difficult to tell the official websites apart from the fake ones. There is a danger of people going online to bet and ending up being scammed." • Additional reporting by Melissa Lin A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 15, 2016, with the headline 'Online betting: Fear of rise in addiction'. ----- END OF COR160 TMA02 -----