Singapore Sees Increase in Number of Gamblers Banned from Casinos

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Tuesday, October 29th, 2013 | Written by Lucy Brown

Though Singapore is a small nation that has only two casinos within its borders, the number of Singaporeans to find their name on a list banning them from entering those casinos has more than quadrupled since 2011, according to a recent report by The Star Online.

Singapore introduced new exclusion program in 2011

In the two years since Singapore overhauled its methods for excluding certain players from entering casino properties, the number of people whose names appear on the rolls has risen to 175,680 from 47,178 in June of 2011.

Singapore, which is one of only three city-states in the entire world – and the only one that is on an island – is known for being a conservative culture with many rules that sometimes carry extraordinarily harsh penalties. For example, since 2004, chewing gum has been banned in Singapore, mainly as a matter of hygiene and cleanliness, as gum gets stuck to sidewalks, benches, and other public facilities. The importation of chewing gum is against Singaporean law, and it can only be obtained from medical doctors for “therapeutic uses.”

Likewise, the rules governing who can be placed on the casino exclusion list may seem harsh to those accustomed to a more liberal cultural climate with more permissive attitudes about gambling, as is typical in Canada, Australia, Europe, and other westernized societies.

Family members can restrict each other from going to casinos in Singapore

In Singapore, not only can an individual add his name to the list preventing casino entry, so too can family members. Individuals who have gone through bankruptcy or are collecting some form of public financial assistance are likewise automatically on the banned list, and can only be removed after one year.

According to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), more than 90 percent of those on the list are foreigners.

Speaking to the growing number of people excluded from gambling in Singapore’s casinos, Jolene Ong of the gambling rehabilitation program The Silver Lining said, “At the start, people didn’t know where and how to apply for it but now a lot of gamblers are aware and they force themselves to get it as they know they are becoming addicted to gambling.”

Problem gambling often cited as major reason for opposition to casino expansion

The issue of problem gambling often comes up in the United States when there is talk of expanding land-based casino gambling as well as when the idea of regulating online poker in the U.S. or other forms of online betting is raised. Though many casinos allow individuals to place themselves on a self-exclusion list, the concept of putting a family member’s name on one might seem quite extraordinary to many Americans.

And while such restrictions go farther than many Americans and other Westerners would like, there are certainly those who agree that gambling addiction is more of a problem than gambling companies make known and would like to see further checks put in place to ensure that those with a gambling problem do not visit casinos, of the online or brick and mortar variety.

In Illinois, it was recently decided that the state’s casinos won’t be permitted to stay open 24 hours, and must continue to close for at least two hours per day. Some gambling addicts in the state say that if they casinos did not close for two hours each day, they might never leave.