The
opening of the two integrated resorts in 2010 has not, as feared, led to a
higher gambling participation rate in Singapore, a survey has found.
In fact, the proportion of Singapore residents
gambling dropped from 54 per cent in 2008 to 47 per cent last year.
But an emerging group of low-income gamblers
who bet large amounts is worrying the authorities.
This group, made up of residents who have
monthly incomes of less than S$2,000 (US$1,600), bet an average of more than
S$1,000 (US$795) a month.
In 2008, they formed up to 0.8 per cent of
those surveyed. Last year, the figure rose to 2 per cent.
To stop them from at least one form of
gambling, the government is now looking at expanding third-party casino
exclusions to cover a larger number of low-income Singaporeans who are getting
government financial aid.
This could include those getting help from the
Community Care Endowment Fund.
Currently, third-party exclusions cover only
undischarged bankrupts and those on the Public Assistance scheme, where the
most needy get cash.
The government is also studying how to
implement 'circuit breakers' to discourage frequent gamblers from chasing their
losses or keeping up their gambling habits.
This could include working with casinos to
limit the amount of time a person can play or spend.
"What we want to do is to take pro-active
steps to safeguard the financially vulnerable groups," said Acting
Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Chan Chun Sing yesterday.
He was commenting on the results of a survey
on gambling conducted by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) last
year. It polled 3,315 Singapore residents aged 18 and above, and followed
similar surveys done in 2005 and 2008.
The two IRs - Resorts World Sentosa and Marina
Bay Sands - opened in February and April of 2010 respectively. Yesterday, it
was revealed for the first time that some 200,000 Singaporeans and permanent
residents visited the two casinos last year.
The survey found that 1.2 per cent were found
to be 'probable problem gamblers', meaning they are starting to show signs like
a need to gamble larger amounts to achieve the desired excitement. The figure
in 2008 was 1.7 per cent.
The proportion who showed signs of addictive
gambling also remained stable - 1.4 per cent reported five or more symptoms
that suggest they are what is termed problem pathological gamblers (PPG), up
from 1.2 per cent in 2008.
But, the study found, PPGs were betting larger
amounts and gambling more frequently.
Each person in this group bet an average of
$1,713 a month last year, up from S$619 in 2008. Sixty-eight per cent of PPGs
are also frequent gamblers who gambled at least once a week in the past year.
Online gambling, said Chan, is also a cause of
concern because unlike 4D and Toto, it does not have 'natural breakers' where
gamblers can cool-down between each game.
Chan said at a press conference that his
ministry will be "quite surgical" when applying new measures such as
expanded third-party exclusion orders. Announcements will be made in the next
few months.
"What we want are targeted measures
rather than blunt measures that cut across different groups that may not give
us the desired outcome and may cause unintended consequences," he said.
Asked how the number of gamblers and at-risk
gamblers could have remained stable in the light of the opening of the casinos,
he said that the survey should be treated as just "one source of
information".
Experiences of other countries have shown that
it takes three to five years for things to stabilise after the introduction of
casinos, he added.
Jessica Lim & Cheryl Ong
The Straits Times
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