Casino days in Singapore kampung

With Chinese New Year (in Singapore) just a few days away, it’s pertinent to recall how CNY (Chinese New Year) was celebrated in yesteryear. One of my most unforgettable memories of CNY in my kampung (village) was the ritual of gambling. Youngsters, armed with their ang pow money (money given in little red envelopes by their parents and elders), would gamble excitedly and noisily, and if they won they’d be delirious with joy. The most popular games were “three pictures” and and “21” or black jack. Every kampung boy was caught up in this gambling fever, and I was no exception. Every CNY boys like us baby boomers looked forward to these gambling sessions.