*Platinum Member*
Centennial Member
Posts: 111752
Liked By: 63695
Joined: 30 Jun 10
Followers:
3
Tipsters Championship:
Player
has not started
|
Shortly after, a group of security guards, along with a few casino staff, approached Ms Kok and her boyfriend and checked the machine. After verifying that it was a legitimate win, she was asked to head to the cashier to collect her winnings. Stacks of RM10,000 notes, separated into eight bundles of RM100,000, filled up a backpack that was “crazy heavy”, she said. As she had never carried such a huge sum before, she requested security guards to escort her back to her hotel room. “They said walking around the casino was fine, but the moment we exited the casino, they cannot guarantee anything won’t happen.” That night, the group took turns to guard the backpack. It was the weekend, so they could not remit the money back to Singapore and all the banks were closed. The group also learnt that transfers needed to be made using a Malaysian bank account, which none of them had. When they reached the airport to get on their return flight to Singapore, they found out that carrying such a large amount of cash out of the country required approval from Malaysia’s national bank. Ms Kok’s parents returned to Singapore first, while she and her boyfriend figured out their next steps. The next day, she managed to open a Malaysian bank account with OCBC, which offered dual-currency access, with the flexibility to switch between ringgit and Singapore dollar. Ms Kok claims she is disciplined when gambling, setting a firm limit on how much she is willing to lose before she starts. “I gamble not because I want to earn money, but because once in a while, there is nothing to do, and I have no plans over the weekends.” When told of her win, some friends advised her to invest her money or treat herself to some luxury shopping or a holiday. “I am very risk-averse, and I don’t understand complex investment options, so keeping the money in a simple bank account seems safer,” says Ms Kok. She has heard stories of others who came into large sums of money, only to spend it in a matter of months. A friend of a friend won $1.4 million from Toto. The woman impulsively invested in various businesses, spent lavishly, and ultimately used up all the money in less than a year. Ms Kok refers to herself as “low-maintenance” and is not drawn to conspicuous spending and luxury items. To her, this windfall is a gift of time – a chance to slow down in her career and not hustle as hard. But she does not see it as a ticket to early retirement. “I keep trying to steer myself away from the thinking that I am rich or like I have money. I don’t think $200,000 will last you a lifetime.”
|