The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) was set up in Singapore on 31 August 2005 as a statutory board under the

Ministry of Social and Family Development The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF; ms, Kementerian Pembangunan Sosial dan Keluarga; zh, 社会及家庭发展部; ta, சமுதாய, குடும்ப மேம்பாட்டு அமைச்சு) is a ministr ...

of the

Government of Singapore The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of Singapore to mean the executive branch of the state, which is made up of the president and the Cabinet. Although the president acts in their personal discretion in the exercise ...

and to address

problem gambling Problem gambling or ludomania is repetitive gambling behavior despite harm and negative consequences. Problem gambling may be diagnosed as a mental disorder according to ''DSM-5'' if certain diagnostic criteria are met. Pathological gambling is ...

, following the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

's decision to legalise

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

gambling and build two

integrated resort An integrated resort (IR) is a major resort property that includes a hotel with a casino, together with convention facilities, entertainment shows, theme parks, luxury retail and fine dining. The term is largely Singaporean. Earlier IR lice ...

s at Marina Bay and

Sentosa Sentosa Island, known mononymously as Sentosa, and formerly ''Pulau Belakang Mati'', is an island located off the southern coast of Singapore's main island. The island is separated from the main island of Singapore by a channel of water, the K ...

. The council is chaired by Sim Gim Guan and has 17 members. One of the main tasks of NCPG is to promote public awareness on problem gambling. In January 2006, a TV series ''Bet Your Life'' was launched to examine problem gambling and its effects on families and society. A fund of S$150,000 was also set aside for public education programmes initiated by voluntary welfare organisations. To counsel and help compulsive gamblers, two hotlines are set up by Institute of Mental Health and Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society. In 2014, during an investigation of Tiong Bahru Football Club, which operated a slot machine room, public attention was focused on gambling inside registered societies who have slot machines. Access to such slot machines is viewed as a backdoor to gambling addicts who are banned via NCPG as their access to such societies are not banned. In 2017, only 24 out of 93 private clubs are in the exclusion list by the NCPG.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official site
2005 establishments in Singapore Government agencies established in 2005 Problem gambling organizations Medical and health organisations based in Singapore

See also

References

External links