http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...mbling-but-recognises-reality-of/3194322.html
SINGAPORE: The Government’s position on online gambling is “not to encourage it”, but to “recognise a reality” that there are Singaporeans who engage in it and hence provide a "safer space" to manage it, said Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin in Parliament on Monday (Oct 10).
Several members of Parliament had raised questions after the Government announced late last month that Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club would be exempt from the Remote Gambling Act and can offer online gambling services. The two operators will have to implement a host of social safeguards in their online gambling and betting systems, authorities had said.
Mr Tan explained that the Government’s objective in doing so is to see how best they can look after the well-being of Singaporeans. “I know from a specific individual perspective we would like to take a stronger position to say that we ban it, and send a very clear signal that way,” he said. “But the issue is how to deal with the very real and practical problem which is that people are gambling online.”
“The reality is that there are Singaporeans who are online gambling and they are gambling in a space where there are no social safeguards and no monitoring,” he said, reiterating a concern he had highlighted in an interview with Channel NewsAsia.
EXPOSED TO "VERY REAL DANGERS"
With no safeguards or safety valves in illegal gambling, Singapore is being exposed to “very real dangers”, added the minister. “It’s not just a virtual gambling space, and it does extend to a very real world problem”, he said, adding that one of the biggest concerns the Government has is the criminal element of online gambling.
“You have punters, bookies, runners and agents collecting bet monies and extending credit lines, and a lot of them are unfortunately involved in syndicate crimes,” he added. “That is not trivial from that perspective as well.”
Mr Tan also said that the nature of the Internet is such that the space cannot be “completely sealed off”, citing Singapore’s high Internet penetration rate and the growing global market for online gambling.“We are concerned that the numbers may grow as the space continues to proliferate and the Internet continues to grow in terms of accessibility. So at least for those who are there, can we at least provide some form of a safer space for that?” he said.
“This fairly controlled tightly managed space with social safeguards will be one way to deal with the excesses of online gambling,” he said. “But if it turns out that there continue to be issues, we will take a closer look at how best to deal with it.”
NO MIXED SIGNALS FROM GOVT: DESMOND LEE
In response to a question from MP Denise Phua, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Lee stated there have been "no mixed signals in that in 2014, you say one thing, in 2016 you do another" he said, noting that the Government was upfront two years ago in introducing a framework to control remote gambling, with a "safety valve".
He added that Singapore’s approach to gambling is “somewhat similar” to the overall approach in other countries in managing vices like drinking and smoking. “Although we discourage drinking and smoking, we do not have a complete ban. Instead, we manage the potential harms through regulation and public education.
“Some have compared gambling to drug abuse, and say if we allow a safety valve for gambling, then why not have a safety valve for drug taking? I believe they are asking a rhetorical question and conflating the way in which you tackle crime and the way in which many societies try to manage vices that have been in society for ages,” he said.
“The magnitude of harm resulting from drug abuse is vastly different from and much more severe. Our regimes towards drug abuse and vices, such as gambling, are therefore different in complexion."
Taking a “realistic, clear-minded approach”, a complete ban on online gambling will “drive demand underground” and create “larger incentives for criminal syndicates to target Singapore", he said. “Determined gamblers can circumvent website blocking measures by using VPN or proxy websites."
Mr Lee highlighted that since February 2015, more than 120 people have been arrested by the police for remote gambling activities. He also cited the recent Euro 2016 football championship, where police arrested 39 suspects in Singapore, who dealt with S$2.5 million in bets. And while there are no official figures on the extent of such gambling he said, one estimate put Singapore's remote gambling market value at around S$461 million last year, when the ban was in place.
SINGAPORE: The Government’s position on online gambling is “not to encourage it”, but to “recognise a reality” that there are Singaporeans who engage in it and hence provide a "safer space" to manage it, said Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin in Parliament on Monday (Oct 10).
Several members of Parliament had raised questions after the Government announced late last month that Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club would be exempt from the Remote Gambling Act and can offer online gambling services. The two operators will have to implement a host of social safeguards in their online gambling and betting systems, authorities had said.
Mr Tan explained that the Government’s objective in doing so is to see how best they can look after the well-being of Singaporeans. “I know from a specific individual perspective we would like to take a stronger position to say that we ban it, and send a very clear signal that way,” he said. “But the issue is how to deal with the very real and practical problem which is that people are gambling online.”
“The reality is that there are Singaporeans who are online gambling and they are gambling in a space where there are no social safeguards and no monitoring,” he said, reiterating a concern he had highlighted in an interview with Channel NewsAsia.
EXPOSED TO "VERY REAL DANGERS"
With no safeguards or safety valves in illegal gambling, Singapore is being exposed to “very real dangers”, added the minister. “It’s not just a virtual gambling space, and it does extend to a very real world problem”, he said, adding that one of the biggest concerns the Government has is the criminal element of online gambling.
“You have punters, bookies, runners and agents collecting bet monies and extending credit lines, and a lot of them are unfortunately involved in syndicate crimes,” he added. “That is not trivial from that perspective as well.”
Mr Tan also said that the nature of the Internet is such that the space cannot be “completely sealed off”, citing Singapore’s high Internet penetration rate and the growing global market for online gambling.“We are concerned that the numbers may grow as the space continues to proliferate and the Internet continues to grow in terms of accessibility. So at least for those who are there, can we at least provide some form of a safer space for that?” he said.
“This fairly controlled tightly managed space with social safeguards will be one way to deal with the excesses of online gambling,” he said. “But if it turns out that there continue to be issues, we will take a closer look at how best to deal with it.”
NO MIXED SIGNALS FROM GOVT: DESMOND LEE
In response to a question from MP Denise Phua, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Lee stated there have been "no mixed signals in that in 2014, you say one thing, in 2016 you do another" he said, noting that the Government was upfront two years ago in introducing a framework to control remote gambling, with a "safety valve".
He added that Singapore’s approach to gambling is “somewhat similar” to the overall approach in other countries in managing vices like drinking and smoking. “Although we discourage drinking and smoking, we do not have a complete ban. Instead, we manage the potential harms through regulation and public education.
“Some have compared gambling to drug abuse, and say if we allow a safety valve for gambling, then why not have a safety valve for drug taking? I believe they are asking a rhetorical question and conflating the way in which you tackle crime and the way in which many societies try to manage vices that have been in society for ages,” he said.
“The magnitude of harm resulting from drug abuse is vastly different from and much more severe. Our regimes towards drug abuse and vices, such as gambling, are therefore different in complexion."
Taking a “realistic, clear-minded approach”, a complete ban on online gambling will “drive demand underground” and create “larger incentives for criminal syndicates to target Singapore", he said. “Determined gamblers can circumvent website blocking measures by using VPN or proxy websites."
Mr Lee highlighted that since February 2015, more than 120 people have been arrested by the police for remote gambling activities. He also cited the recent Euro 2016 football championship, where police arrested 39 suspects in Singapore, who dealt with S$2.5 million in bets. And while there are no official figures on the extent of such gambling he said, one estimate put Singapore's remote gambling market value at around S$461 million last year, when the ban was in place.
