National Council on Problem Gambling

The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) was appointed by the government in August 2005 as part of Singapore's national framework to address the issue of problem gambling. Its functions include raising public awareness of problem gambling. It also has the authority to bar certain people from the upcoming casinos under the Casino Control Act.

Background
During the parliament session on 18 April 2005, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the Cabinet's decision to allow the development of integrated resorts (IRs) with casinos in Singapore. At the same time, he acknowledged the social implications of having the IRs, particularly the possible increase in problem gambling, and said that the government will set up a national framework to address the issue. This was to include the setting up of a national council on gambling and programmes to treat and counsel gamblers. On 31 August 2005, the NCPG started its first two-year term.

Description
Under the Casino Control Act, the NCPG may have up to 20 members including the chairman, all appointed by the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports. The council members have so far included representatives from the corporate, legal, clinical treatment, counselling, research and religious fields.

The functions of the council are to:

• Provide advice and feedback to the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) on public education programmes on problem gambling.
• Decide on funding applications for preventive and rehabilitative programmes.
• Assess and advise the government on the effectiveness of treatment, counselling and rehabilitative programmes.
• Decide on applications for exclusion of persons from the casinos.

Casino Exclusion Orders
The council has the authority to make, vary and revoke casino exclusion orders and it is required to maintain a list of people who are barred from the casinos through these exclusion orders. There are three types of exclusions: voluntary self-exclusion, third-party exclusion and family exclusion.

The council automatically approves applications for self-exclusion, and the ban may be lifted after a minimum period of one year once the individual informs the council of his intention to revoke the order. Undischarged bankrupts and those who are on social assistance programmes funded by the government are also automatically excluded. However, the exclusion order can be revoked only after the individual has been discharged from bankruptcy or is no longer receiving Public Assistance or Special Grant.

Under the family exclusion scheme, family members may apply to stop their immediate relatives (spouses, children, parents and siblings) from entering the casino if their problem gambling has caused serious harm. A person is regarded as having caused serious harm if he has gambled irresponsibly for not less than three months without care to the needs and welfare of his family. Family exclusion orders may be revoked only after one year. The NCPG started to accept family exclusion applications on 1 April 2009. As of end-August 2009, it had issued seven exclusion orders - two were applications made by wives against their husbands, two by sisters against their brothers, and three by parents against their sons.

Highlights of NCPG Initiatives
One of the NCPG's key initiatives was the formation of an international advisory panel in 2007 comprising international experts to help the council develop expertise in research and services to understand and manage problem gambling and other addictions.

The council also partnered with MediaCorp TV8 in December 2006 on a drama series titled A Million Treasures or Bai Wan Bao to help raise public awareness of the harms of excessive gambling. Starring Li Nanxing, Zoe Tay and Pan Ling Ling, it featured a successful hotel chef who lost everything due to gambling but recovered with the help and support of family and friends.

In September 2006, the council commissioned two social services agencies, Care Corner Counselling Centre and Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society, to provide community-based counselling services under a pilot programme. A training framework was developed to train the counsellors to effectively assess and refer problem gamblers for specialised help services.

Timeline
18 Apr 2005 : Government announced plan to set up a national gambling council.
31 Aug 2005 : Government appointed the NCPG.
10 Oct 2005 : New NCPG website was launched.
7 Jan - 11 Feb 2006 : Info-educational TV series Bet Your Life was aired on MediaCorp TV8, highlighting the harms of problem gambling and the help services available.
Feb 2006 : Commencement of public consultation exercise on casino exclusion procedures.
Sep 2006 : Care Corner Counselling Centre and Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society were commissioned to pilot community-based problem gambling services.
Dec 2006 : NCPG partnered with MediaCorp on a new drama series A Million Treasures.
Jun 2007 : Submission of recommendations on casino exclusion procedures to the MCYS.
Jul 2007 : Inaugural Singapore Problem Gambling Conference was held.
Dec 2007 : Consolidation of problem gambling hotlines under the Institute of Mental Health's Community Addiction Management Programme.
Feb 2008 : Launch of NCPG's 2008 integrated media campaign with a TV advertisement featuring a little girl with her piggy bank.
May 2008 : NCPG approved funding for a seniors' problem gambling ambassadors' programme by YAH! College, a community college to promote lifelong learning among senior citizens.
Nov 2008 : Public consultation on casino exclusion measures.
1 Apr 2009 : NCPG began accepting applications for family exclusion orders.
15 Sep 2009 : Parliament passed the Casino Control (Amendment) Bill for changes to the application procedures for exclusion orders.



Author
Lim Puay Ling


References
Casino Control Act, Act 2006, Singapore Statutes Online.  

Lim Wei Chean, “How Exclusion Orders Work,” Straits Times, 23 September 2009, 3. (From NewspaperSG)

Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, “Government Appoints National Council on Problem,” 31 August 2005, press release. (From NLB Web Archive)

Lee Hsien Loong, “Proposal To Develop Integrated Resorts,” speech, 18 April 2005, transcript, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts. (From National Archives of Singapore document no. 2005041803)

Vivian Balakrishnan, “Integrated Resort,” speech, Parliament House, 21 April 2005, transcript, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts. (From National Archives of Singapore document no. 20050421990

National Council on Problem Gambling “National Council on Problem Gambling Kicks Off Public Education Efforts With New Website,” 10 October 2005, press release.

National Council on Problem Gambling, Annual Report 05/06 (Singapore: National Council on Problem Gambling, 2006). (Call no. RSING 306.482095957 NCPGSA-[AR])

National Council on Problem Gambling, “National Council on Problem Gambling Seeks Public Views on Exclusion Measures,” 15 February 2006, press release.

National Council on Problem Gambling, Annual Report 2006/2007 (Singapore: National Council on Problem Gambling, 2007). (Call no. RSING 306.482095957 NCPGSA-[AR])

National Council on Problem Gambling, Annual Report 07/08 (Singapore: National Council on Problem Gambling, 2008). (Call no. RSING 306.482095957 NCPGSA-[AR])

National Council on Problem Gambling, “NCPG Ready To Accept Applications for Family Exclusion Orders,” 1 April 2009, press release.

Ansley Ng, “Novel Suggestions for Exclusion Orders,” Today, 16 September 2009, 6. (From NewspaperSG)

Theresa Tan, “14 Signed Up for Casino Ban by Their Families,” Straits Times, 20 June 2009, 41. (From NewspaperSG)



Further Resources
Radha Basu, “More Gambling Addicts Seek Help,” Straits Times, 29 August 2009, 88. (From NewspaperSG)

Lim Wei Chean, “Changes Made to Casino Control Act,” Straits Times, 16 September 2009, 28. (From NewspaperSG)

Arthur Sim, “More Resources To Tackle Casino Exclusions,” Business Times, 15 June 2007. (From NewspaperSG)

Yap Su-Yin, “Mahjong, 4-D Not Gambling, Says 1 in 2,” Straits Times, 3 October 2006, H4. (From NewspaperSG)



The information in this article is valid as at 2009 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.