SINGAPORE: It was an exercise to gather feedback on how to bar problem gamblers from the upcoming two casinos, but some concerned families want other gaming venues which run into the hundreds here — to be added to the list.

The Casino Control Act, which was passed by Parliament in February last year, “only covered exclusion orders for casinos”, some family members of recovering problem gamblers had noted. Their views were reflected in a press release issued by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) yesterday.

Yet, much of the feedback also preferred problem gamblers to apply to bar themselves from the casinos, with family exclusion to “be exercised as a last resort” after all other options, such as counselling, having been exhausted.

According to the NCPG press release, “while family members of recovering problem gamblers welcomed family exclusion … some were hesitant to apply for it. They expressed concerns that lodging an application might cause further conflict within the family and lead to divorce or estrangement from family members”.

A spokesperson for Singapore Pools told TODAY that the option for self-exclusion “is already available” to customers of its Poolz-Connect, a telephone betting service. The operator “will review our procedure where appropriate”, she added.

The NCPG said it agreed with suggestion to hire adequate numbers of trained social workers, experienced in gambling and family conflict issues, to help applicants of self- and family exclusions.

There are three types of exclusion measures under the Act: Voluntary self-exclusion, exclusion at the request of a family member and third-party exclusion. The last one means that the NCPG could prohibit a person from entering the casino, should he be on state-funded social assistance, have a poor credit record, a bankrupt or facing bankruptcy charges.

Mr Tan Kian Hoon, who chairs the NCPG’s public consultation sub-committee, said that work would start “immediately to install a simple yet rigorous system for the casino exclusions”.

“However, what we would like to see is that self-help and family support always come first and exclusions would be the last line of defence,” he added.

While it “noted” the call to include noncasino gaming venues, the NCPG said it had initiated dialogue sessions to encourage the operators of such venues to voluntarily adopt self-exclusion measures, as part of a Responsible Gambling Code of Practice.

A draft Code was sent out in February to some gaming operators, such as Singapore Pools, the Singapore Turf Club and several private clubs with jackpot rooms. It is estimated that there are more than 100 private clubs housing more than 1,900 slot machines in Singapore.

Included in the Code is the need for operators to provide information on problem gambling and help services, as well as to train staff to identify problem gamblers.

In an NCPG survey on 2,000 people last year, one in two saw buying 4-D, Toto and mahjong as leisure activities — even when thousands of dollars can be lost.

The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore raked in $1.05 billion in betting duties from Singapore Sweep, 4-D and Toto between April 2004 and March 2005. The rate of betting duty for the three games is 25 per cent on gross collections.