There is an ongoing growth in the number of gamblers who are banning themselves voluntarily in all of the Singapore Pools online accounts in which a platform where they are allowed to place wagers on games such as 4D lottery and football and in 46 jackpot rooms in the casinos.
Massive self-exclusions
In late December last year, there were 4,878 self-inclusions that were ordered from jackpot rooms. There is also at least 25 percent rise in such orders from 3,895 at the end of 2020, which can be compared to 3,515 back in late months of 2019.
This massive self-exclusion from the jackpot rooms came after the Gambling Control Bill was passed this year. In the law, it states that there is a punishment for an individual who is prohibited by his or her loved ones to go or gamble in any forms of jackpot rooms in the casinos or create online accounts in the betting platform SGPool. Anyone who violated the law will be subjected to a fine of $10,000 and can be incarcerated for up to one year in prison.
On February 14, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore Bill and the Gambling Control Bill were presented in the Parliament. The bills aim to recognize the obscuring differences between gaming nd gambling and how the online world plays a huge role in bringing ease of accessibility on gambling.
Family exclusion order
The new bill can now allow family members to apply to ban their loved ones from entering any of the 46 jackpot rooms in casinos. The new family exclusion option can bar any Singaporeans who are suffering from gambling addiction from participating in any of the three forms of gambling in Singapore, jackpot rooms, casinos, and Singapore sports betting.
According to the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), the bill aims to reduce the bad effects of gambling on individuals and their families. The MSF representative also said that on the family exclusion option, a group of evaluators will decide whether to bar the person based on factors such as the family’s stress and financial condition and the individual’s frequency of betting.
Addressing gambling addiction problems
The MSF spokesman also said that those individuals who have been prohibited by their families will be mandated to undergo a program that includes rehabilitation and counseling. He also said that the providers of jackpot rooms and the operators of Singapore Pools will also be punished by the Gambling Regulatory Authority, a new authority that will preside over all types of gambling like SGPool 4D, once they permitted those individuals who are banned to gamble.
According to the counselors who are working with individuals with gambling addiction, it is essential to allow families to apply to ban their loved ones, which are able to without the consent of the person, this is because most of the people suffering with addiction is most likely refrain from making a self-exclusion application to ban themselves.
This is a response to the ongoing rise of individuals who are frequently betting on illegal sites and placing huge wagers. Aside from regular loss of sums from thousands to up to millions of dollars on games such as football and casino, these addicts also tend to lend money from loan sharks and money lenders which could lead to massive debts and financial loss. They also said that the gambling habits of these people could also disrupt their relationships.
The bottom line
Overall, the family exclusion order of the Gambling Control Bill allows the families to have a means to urge their loved ones to make an effective solution to their gambling problem. The bill is one of the proposed solutions to one of the widespread problems caused by the pandemic.
