GAMBLING EXCLUSION: Why council proceeds cautiously
-
Dec 2, 2010 - Straits Times
ON BEHALF of the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), I apologise to Mr Richard Ho for the poor response he received when he called our helpline ('Casino exclusion: Family frustrated by red tape'; last Saturday).
I understand his deep concern that one of his family members has fallen prey to problem gambling.
Mr Ho has highlighted that his family member turned aggressive when the family warned him that they would apply to enrol him in the family exclusion scheme.
Indeed, it is precisely because of the family tension and conflict that accompanies every single application for a family exclusion order that we had designed the workflow to start with a family conference with trained and experienced counsellors.
Over the past few months, we have been working with Tanjong Pagar Family Service Centre - the centre that receives family casino exclusion applications - to review the application process.
We have since decided that while we must try to help families manage the tensions and conflict from an application for family exclusion, we must also bear in mind the great urgency felt by such a family to put an immediate stop to the gambling.
Therefore, we will change our workflow such that all applications will be heard by NCPG while Tanjong Pagar Family Service Centre will concurrently try to encourage families to work through the often complex and difficult family issues that problem gambling would have caused.
Mr Ho had stated that he was informed that there were more than 300 applications still waiting to be processed. There are, in fact, 73 cases which the council will hear this month.
I thank Mr Ho for highlighting the difficulties in the implementation of family exclusion applications. Remedial measures have been taken.
Lim Hock San
Chairman
National Council on Problem Gambling -
The council is overwhelmed. They didn't expect IRs will affect that many.
