Amidst news of Singapore’s integrated resorts expanding, Lee Kah-Wee’s timely book on the histories of gambling in the city-state is well worth a read. Carefully dissecting the state’s efforts to control gambling in colonial and modern Singapore as well as the rise of the casino in Las Vegas, the book makes a compelling case for how a seeming act of morality is also tied to spatial politics and capitalism. There is even a juicy chapter behind the design of the now iconic Marina Bay Sands!

#ADesignLibrary spotlights lesser known design books, and invites public access to my personal collection of titles that focuses on Singapore architecture and design, Asian design, everyday design, critical and speculative design as well as design theory and philosophy. I welcome inquiries and physical loans.