20 enquiries made on Family Exclusion Order for problem gamblers

03/04/2009
By Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE: The telephone hotline for enquiring about barring family members with gambling problems from casinos opened on Thursday morning and within a day, 20 calls were received.

The number was higher than what the National Council on Problem Gambling had expected. It said appointments have been fixed with six of the callers for sessions with counsellors.

The majority of the calls were made by women who were concerned about their husbands' gambling habits. But getting a Family Exclusion Order is not a straightforward affair.

First, one has to make a phone call to the Tanjong Pagar Family Service Centre to arrange for an appointment. Next, family members and the problem gambler will have to meet a counsellor.

After reviewing the case, the counsellor will then decide if the application should be made. If it goes through, it will be looked into by a Committee of Assessors (COA).

An application against a problem gambler can still be passed even if he or she does not want to take part in the process.

Charles Lee, senior counsellor, Tanjong Pagar Family Service Centre, said: "If the problem gambler doesn't want to have the chance to come and give his say... that is really his right and we cannot force him to come."

If the problem gambler refuses to cooperate, the family member has to show good reason why an application should proceed.

Mildred Tan, chair of Public Communications Sub-Committee, National Council of Problem Gambling, said: "They would have to show cause. What is the reason, rationale for the problem gambler to be excluded?

"In this instance, it could be the mounting debts. Of course in the worst instance, it could be family violence that has taken place or continually takes place."

A problem gambler can appeal against the exclusion order.

Details are still in the works as to how exactly problem gamblers will be physically barred from casinos. The council said the onus will be on the casinos to make sure that those who have been issued an exclusion order stay out of their premises.

Singapore is the second city in the world to introduce the Family Exclusion Order after South Australia. But the take-up rate in South Australia has been very low – only 170 calls were made from 2004 to 2008.

This contrasts with Singapore where within just a day, 20 calls were received. A spike in the number of calls is expected closer to the date of the casinos' opening. When that happens, more counsellors will probably be needed as well, said Mr Lee.

The council also said it is looking into working with casino operators to help identify and reach out to gamblers with potential addiction problems.

In the second half of the year, two more exclusion orders will be put in effect. They are the Self Exclusion Order and the Third Party Exclusion Order.

Enquiries about these measures can be made through the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1800-6-668-668.