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SINGAPORE : More people have applied for self-exclusion orders to bar themselves from entering casinos since the opening of Resorts World Sentosa.
About 100 applications have been received since February 12 - about 40 per cent of the total number of applications received so far.
Separately, the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) said Resorts World Sentosa has been responsive in its dialogue on responsible gambling.
Resorts World Sentosa has drawn thousands of punters since its casino opened its doors on February 14.
But there are also more people who want to bar themselves from entering the casino.
NCPG said there have been 264 applications for self-exclusion orders since it started receiving the applications in November last year. Of these, over 80 per cent are men, and about 90 per cent of the applicants are Chinese.
There have also been 12 family exclusion orders issued in February, bringing the total number to 31. Most of them were wives applying for their husbands to be barred from entering the casino.
As for social safeguards, NCPG said Resorts World Sentosa has started providing on-site counselling service so that patrons who may need information and referral for gambling problems can find help.
The council understands that Resorts World Sentosa has already signed on an independent counselling service.
For now, Resorts World Sentosa said it has a counsellor who comes to the casino once a week. It said that no one has undergone the counselling programme as yet as it often takes time to identify a problem gambler.
It said that staff have been trained to identify a problem gambler and anyone who shows any signs of a problem gambler would be referred to the counsellor.
Resorts World Sentosa has also implemented a voluntary gaming limit system, where patrons are able to place a limit on how much money they are prepared to lose at the casino. NCPG said such a system is important as it stops patrons from chasing losses.
Resorts World Sentosa said no one has made use of the gaming limit system as yet.
As for crowd control, NCPG said there has been an improvement in signages and patron traffic flow at the casino entrance, to minimise errors by foreigners and Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents entering through the wrong lanes.
Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents entering the casino have to pay a S$100 casino entry levy per day or a S$2,000 annual levy. - CNA/ms
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