Betting operators unveil safeguards against addiction to online gaming

SINGAPORE - The country's two main betting operators - Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club (STC) - have stressed that their move to offer online gambling will be carried out with the strictest of safeguards in place.

They gave this assurance following the government's announcement on Thursday that it had approved the applications by the two not-for-profit entities to be exempted under the Remote Gambling Act for three years.

Singapore Pools chief executive officer Seah Chin Siong pointed to the organisation's track record of nearly half a century of operations here as an advantage.

"We've been around for almost 50 years, since 1968, and we have a strong record. I believe Singapore Pools has the capability to operate the online channel in a very responsible manner," he told reporters at a press conference.

He noted that Singapore Pools was originally set up to provide a "safe, trusted and legal channel" for those who wished to gamble - a mission that has remain unchanged to this day.

STC president and chief executive Yu Pang Fey made a similar point at a separate briefing. He said: "In developing our wagering platforms, we have worked very closely with the authorities and put in place strong social safeguards to minimise possible harm to our account holders."

He noted that illegal online wagering has grown with technology advancements over the last 20 years and that STC wanted to have a "legal alternative" to unregulated betting in the online space.

Singapore Pools will launch its online operations on Oct 25, and offer its existing products - Toto, 4D, football and F1 betting - on its web-based service.

Tickets for the monthly Singapore Sweep draw, however, can only be purchased in person at one of about 300 betting outlets islandwide.

Singapore Pools will continue giving punters the option of placing their bets by phone, which it has done since 2005.

Meanwhile, STC said it will launch both a web-based betting service and a new mobile app on Nov 15; it will also continue to offer its phone betting service.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement that both operators are not allowed to introduce casino-style games or poker, and will need to seek its approval before adding new betting products down the road.

Singapore Pools has a rigorous three-step registration process that will take about three to seven working days to process.

Applicants must first fill up an online form and turn up at one of the branches for their identity and age to be verified.

Singapore Pools will then carry out the necessary checks with the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), to ensure that applicants are not among the 51,000 individuals currently on the casino exclusion list.

STC is taking a slightly different approach to its registration process. Those seeking to place online bets on horse races must first visit one of its nine branches in person to fill up an application form. Their original identity documents will be verified, and their names submitted to the NCPG for the necessary checks.

The process could take about two weeks to complete.

Both Singapore Pools and STC will allow punters to set their own daily funding and expenditure limits. Requests to decrease these limits will take effect immediately, but requests for increases will take effect only the next day.

At each log-in, punters will be shown, among other things, an advisory on responsible gambling and a summary of the deposits, bets and their win-loss record over the last 24 hours. Punters will also receive an alert if they hit 75 per cent of their daily funding or expenditure limit.

leeuwen@sph.com.sg

@LeeUwenBT

This article was first published on September 30, 2016.
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