S1E68: Trading cards: Childhood hobby, investment asset or a gateway to gambling?

Mar 24, 2026

38:16

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Are these cards really that bad? Could playing with them lead to gambling?

Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests.

Pokemon. One Piece. Magic: The Gathering. These trading card games bring back nostalgic childhood memories. But the government's plans to regulate them raise questions.

In this episode, assistant opinion editor Lianne Chia speaks to psychiatrist Lim Boon Leng from Gleneagles Medical Centre, and Chew Zhan Lun, co-founder of card marketplace CTRL Collectibles, who recently made headlines for rejecting a $1.3 million offer for one of his Pokemon cards.

They delve into the nature of the trading card scene and how such cards - initially meant for children to play with - have turned into a hyped-up investment asset. But with social media and livestreaming fuelling this boom, there are practices that could cross the line into gambling. Could regulations, therefore, be a good thing for the scene? And what could they look like?

Highlights (click/tap above):

7:28 When a hobby becomes lucrative, what do we lose?

13:08 What makes people spend thousands of dollars on a single card?

17:29 Is there something inherently wrong with trading cards that could cause one to be addicted to gambling?

20:31 Are we exposing our children to gambling?

26:41 Is regulation going to take the fun out of the hobby?

Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH

Follow Lianne Chia on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/gTta

Host: Lianne Chia (liannechia@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim

Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Lynda Hong

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