Dangerous games

Posted: 3/25/2012 Singapore casinos face tougher ‘problem customer’ regulations Singapore’s casino operators face tougher regulation on the monitoring of customers after research suggested more low-income punters and gambling addicts are visiting the state’s casinos. Findings from the 2011 Survey on Participation in Gambling Activities indicate a small but rising proportion of low earners betting amounts exceeding S$1,000 (MOP6,360)-a-month and a high proportion of “probable pathological gamblers” are visiting the island’s two casino resorts. Acting minister Chan Chun Sing said that the government would consider extending a third-party casino exclusion order to Singaporeans on social assistance schemes. Third-party exclusions, which currently number nearly 30,000, apply to bankrupts and those on state public support aid. Mr Chan said that “going forward, we will evolve a model whereby the help will come not just from the social organisations but also casino operators working in concert with government agencies. “What we want are targeted measures rather than very blunt measures that cut across different groups, which may not give us the necessary impact or which may cause unintended consequences.” Potential regulatory measures, which may be introduced over the next few months, could include recipients of social assistance being barred from entering casinos, operators playing a bigger role in the monitoring of frequent visitors and the introduction of “circuit-breakers” that prevent casino gamblers from chasing their losses. Double-edged sword Mr Chan said that people requiring help with employment and those on the medium-term ComCare Transitions assistance scheme could come under third-party exclusion schemes. The 2011 survey by the National Council on Problem Gambling found that nearly seven in 10 probable pathological gamblers gambled at least once a week in the past 12 months. Chan said that there were “conflicting opinions” on the issue of raising entrance levies — one suggested solution to the issue. Increasing the levy may not deter frequent gamblers and may cause some to intensify their betting when in the casinos, he said. Another fear was that gamblers might substitute casino trips with alternatives such as online gambling that could be more problematic. “Because of differences in the nature of gaming products, we have to be quite surgical in the way we apply the measures,” Mr Chan said. The government will study measures already in place in casinos in Austria, Australia and the Netherlands. “If you look at the models which have been practised by casinos in either Holland, Australia or Austria, the casinos find that it is in their interest to also not have the pathological gamblers among their clientele … because it is also with their interest to promote responsible gaming,” Mr Chan says. Whatever regulatory changes are brought in, the S$100 levy for Singaporeans to enter the casinos at the Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa will remain unchanged because of a 10-year contractual agreement fixing the price. Singapore’s two casinos have already had reprimands over their entrance policy but both have agreed to support any government policy. A Marina Bay Sands spokesperson said it would “continue to work in a cooperative and collaborative manner with regulatory authorities”. The spokesperson added that Marina Bay Sands was committed to providing information and guidance to its guests on the rules and regulations that govern the casino environment in Singapore. Resorts World Sentosa said it strongly supported the government’s initiative to protect Singaporeans from pathological gambling. It also welcomed the measures to exclude recipients on social assistance from gambling in the casinos. The 2011 Survey on Participation in Gambling Activities showed a 7 percentage-point drop from 54 percent to 47 percent in gambling participation overall and a fall in the number of Singaporean visitors as the novelty factor of the casinos wears off. The survey found that the proportion of low-income gamblers went up from between 0 percent and 0.8 percent in 2008 to 2 percent in 2011. These gamblers earn less than S$2,000 a month but they place an average monthly betting amount of more than S$1,000. By Dan Townend*