Counsellors call for tougher curbs on online gambling – 26Nov2013
SINGAPORE: The promise of quick, easy money, right at your fingertips means that the lure of online gambling may be l-l greater than that of casinos.
That is why problem gambling counsellors, who say they are seeing more Singaporeans getting hooked on online betting, are calling for tougher measures to address the number.
With promises of liberate money, no entry fees and no levies, gambling websites are a big draw to those seeking a little thrill and a quick buck. inward addition to websites, gambling apps are also entering the mobile phone market.
“He can do it anytime l-l inward the wee hours of the night, inward the comfort of place. And with smart phones, people may l-l place a bet inward the restroom for that matter!” said One Hope Centre executive director Dick Lum.
One Hope Centre has seen an increasing number of online gambling cases over the past two years.
inward 2012, close to 45 per cent of all cases were related to online gambling, up from 40 per cent the previous year.
The most common forms are sports betting and online casinos. Singapore currently does not take hold any laws to rule such sites.
The Lotus Asia Casino website claims that there are over 245 cyberspace casinos that are accessible from Singapore, with many of these sites offering Malay and Chinese translations inward their gaming options.
inward addition, the site also highlights Singapore’s super-fast cyberspace connection, which it says allow players to “experience l-l the most graphic-intense games that are available from the online casinos”.
Transactions are a breeze with credit cards also accepted as modes of payment.
Credit Counselling Singapore full general manager Tan Huey Min said: “I spoke to a client of mine to regain out how he did it and he was explaining to me, ‘you go to the website, similar any other website.
“You (take hold) to register as a member — you take hold a user name, you take hold an ID, and of course to run a risk, you buy credits. And how to buy credits? You either do funds transfer into your account or use your credit card to authorise deduction of x-dollar amount to buy credits’.”
A 2011 study by the National Council on problem gambling showed that those who run a risk online take hold the worst self-control.
About a third of respondents said they gambled for a longer period, with more money, and more oft than they had planned to, compared to about 10 per cent of those who place bets on sports.
Due to the very nature of the technology, addiction tends to start young l-l if money is not yet involved.
Gerald Goh, deputy director of Thye Hua Kwan Problem Gambling Recovery Centre, said: “A lot of children these days, they grow up with the iPad or iPhone.”
“They are so used to playing games on these mobile devices and if you acquire these apps that just masquerade as games, children may just play these games and think they are engaging inward game play instead of gambling.
“So usually when their parents regain out they are actually gambling, it’s usually too tardily.”
Counsellors say better awareness and educational activity are needed to highlight the pitfalls of online gaming, which could Pb to gambling.
One Hope Centre is planning to reach out to youths through interactive videos, forum theatres and l-l using manga comics. It added that laws could be toughened as well.
Some countries similar France, the United Kingdom and the United States take hold put some cast of restrictions on online gambling websites. These restrictions include banning ads on such websites, blocking the sites, and l-l blocking transactions and payments on these platforms.
Observers say those who want to run a risk may still regain a way to do so, but making it tougher to access such online platforms will surely assist.
Ms Tan proposes that credit card companies play a part, for instance, by restricting transactions on gambling related sites. notwithstanding, she said that would be a challenge.
“Maybe, monitor whether the person is authorising deduction with a certain website that seems to be a gambling website. The thing is that, how can you stop people from gambling their own money? For a financial establishment, that is not so much of their concern to monitor how you spend your money,” said Ms Tan.
www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/counsellors-call-for/900620.html