PAP can set house on fire but disallow citizens to light up

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File photo: A man plays online poker on his home computer. (AFP/Karen Bleier)






SINGAPORE: A new Bill has been tabled in Parliament on Monday (Sep 8) to target the unregulated remote gambling industry. Once passed, the Remote Gambling Bill will define the activities that fall under its parameters and offer authorities with the regulatory bite to clamp down on such activities.

Remote gambling refers to gambling via the Internet, telephone or any other platform that facilitates communication. With the Bill, the authorities are moving to curb such activities, which is a space that has been left unregulated.

A search online by Channel NewsAsia showed websites that specifically target the Singapore audience, with some even offering payment through local banks.
The Remote Gambling Bill aims to target all forms of remote gambling activity - from the gambler and middlemen such as betting agents, to the operators and even syndicates. This will apply so long as part of the gambling activity takes place in Singapore, regardless of where the bet is placed or where the remote gambling operator is located.
Blocking measures are included in the Bill, which will give authorities the powers to implement website access and payment blocking.

Websites that may be blocked include those that "provide, facilitate or advertise remote gambling", while financial institutions will be instructed to block transfers to accounts linked to persons involved in unlawful remote gambling activities, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stated.
There will, however, be exemptions to the Bill that was described as a "tightly controlled regime". Gambling operators can apply to be exempted if it meets the criteria below:

• the entity should be based in Singapore
• the entity should be not-for-profit
• the entity should contribute to public, social or charitable purposes in Singapore
• the entity should have a good track record of compliance with Singapore's legal and regulatory requirements

"Exempted entities will be subject to strict operating conditions, in the areas of social safeguards, responsible gambling, gaming integrity and law and order," the MHA stated.

The ministry studied the laws and practices of other jurisdictions, such as Hong Kong, Norway and France. A six-week public consultation was conducted, while consultations with grassroots, social services, religious and industry groups were also held and their views were considered, it stated.
IMPLEMENTING SOCIAL SAFEGUARDS

Commenting on the proposed bill, Mr Gerald Singham, Member of the National Council of Problem Gambling (NCPG), said: "What the Government is trying to do is move punters toward the authorised operators and the exemption will only apply to current activities."

For example, Mr Singham said there will be exemptions for remote gambling for horse racing, F1 racing and football betting, but this will not be extended to poker and other gaming-type activity. Observers also told Channel NewsAsia that operators like Singapore Pools and the Turf Club, which both offer telephone betting services, will apply for the exemption.

"We are hoping to implement social safeguards, through these authorised operators who have been exempted," said Mr Singham.
Studies by the NCPG showed that about a third of those who engage in online gambling tend to gamble longer, sink in more money than they had planned, and gamble more frequently.

There is also a trend with games via social media that targets the youths here, it showed. Mr Singham said: "These social games try to pass themselves off as social games but actually have more sinister objectives as they simulate remote gambling such as in the form of offering bonuses."

He added that these social games are a concern because they may look "very innocent" but can cause a lot of problems for those who are vulnerable.






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