SINGAPORE — The Workers’ Party (WP) has alleged that the Government is trying to make more money by exempting two operators from a ban on remote gambling, drawing a sharp rebuttal from Senior Minister of State (Home Affairs) Desmond Lee.
During the adjournment motion he filed in Parliament on Monday (Nov 7), the WP’s Pritam Singh said that by allowing Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club to offer remote gambling services, the Government has fuelled public speculation that it “simply wants a piece of the huge global Internet gambling pie, and that this is a revenue-raising exercise done at the expense of Singaporeans’ welfare”.
Mr Lee retorted, noting that the one member of the WP had agreed with the Government’s position that a total ban on remote gambling would drive problem gambling underground, and yet it was singing a different tune now with this “serious allegation”.
“Both the Government and the Opposition agree that online gambling addiction poses serious problems that we are all concerned about, notwithstanding the Member’s assertion that the Government is completely unconcerned and is trying to make money out of this,” said Mr Lee.
In late September, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced that people could gamble legally online through Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club, as the two operators had been assessed to be suitable for exemption from restrictions under the Remote Gambling Act, which came into force in February last year.
In his speech, Mr Singh, a Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC, said a common view held by Singaporeans is that these exemptions are a way for the Government to make more money.
“While (I) am sure the Minister will refute this accusation vigorously, the fact remains that a large part of legalised gambling revenue goes into the state’s coffers. Is providing for exempt operators a way to redirect gambling spending away from illegal overseas operators to local operators, which are owned by the Tote Board?” Mr Singh said.
He added that such increased accessibility could further be the “gateway” to more serious gambling addictions. For instance, pathological gamblers might be tempted to fall back into their old habits by placing bets on smartphones without their friends or family noticing, unlike when they go to casinos or the Singapore Turf Club.
And despite the Government’s admission that online gambling would pose a difficult challenge, Mr Singh said there had “a glaring “lack of clarity” on how the authorities were preparing to tackle the issue.
“One cannot help but to get the feeling that it is business as usual, and that online gambling is just another game to gamble on, or just another sport for the public to take a bet on. I am concerned that it is much more ominous than that,” he added.
Mr Singh’s remarks drew a sharp rebuttal from Mr Lee, who said he was “disturbed” by the picture that Mr Singh had painted, and that it was not right for the MP to suggest that the authorities were unaware of the risks posed by online gambling.
Mr Lee reiterated the Government’s stance that a total ban on all forms of online betting — something that the WP had called for earlier — would drive the problem further underground and make it harder to detect.
Given the growing proliferation of an online gambling market and syndicates, a total ban, on its own, “would not be sufficient” to deal with the problem, said Mr Lee. It would be akin to “burying (one’s) head in the sand”.
He noted that Singapore has a “broad and extensive” prohibition against online gambling in place, such as an exclusion system, public education, outreach and counselling.
The authorities also intend to work with the two exempt operators to study the impact and prevalence of online gambling, before deciding whether they should tweak the policy further.
Mr Lee called on the WP to show evidence that a total ban on online gambling will drive such activities to land-based outlets, such as authorised 4D or Toto shops — instead of underground.
“Online gambling is a global phenomenon. It grows at a very fast rate. It is not a problem outside Singapore – it is right here on our shores, in our homes, in people’s pockets when they walk around, when they work, when they are at home…
“Banning it is inadequate as the problem will only grow deeper … A valve may allow people who intend to gamble online to do so in an environment with some social safeguards, and we can track the size and shape of the problem,” Mr Lee said.
