Parliament: Govt ‘regimes’ towards gambling and drug abuse are not the same
A queue at a Singapore Pools outlet at Block 106, Hougang Ave 1. TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — Addressing some critics’ remarks that if a “safety valve” could be instituted for remote gambling, it could also be done for drug offences, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Lee said that the Government tackles both social problems differently.
“The magnitude of harm resulting from drug abuse is vastly different from, and much more severe than that for gambling. Our regimes towards drug abuse and vices, such as gambling, are necessarily different,” he said in Parliament on Monday (Oct 10).
Last month, the Government exempted two lottery operators — Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club — from the Remote Gambling Act, which prohibits gambling via websites, phones or smart devices.
Five Members of Parliament (MPs) in the House on Monday got up to ask supplementary questions after Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin and Mr Lee elaborated on the Government’s rationale for granting the exemption.
Some of the questions raised included how the Government intends to measure the impact of the exemptions, and whether the Government would reconsider the exemptions if there were an increase in online gambling addiction because of the decision.
There have been widespread criticism from members of the online community as well as organisations, including the National Councils of Churches, which issued a statement last week saying that the move is “sending confusing and conflicting signals” and that a “tightly-controlled valve” to minimise law-and-order concerns cannot be the best option.
Reiterating the Government’s reasons for allowing the exemptions, Mr Tan said: “I know that from a specific individual perspective, we (may) like a stronger position, to say that we ban it to send a very clear signal that way… But it is the nature of the Internet that we are not able to completely seal off that space.
“For those who are gambling online (illegally), they have no safeguards, no safety valves, no safety measures… It’s not just a virtual gambling space. It expands to a very real-world problem (with criminal elements) because you have punters… bookies… runners... agents collecting (bet) monies, also extending credit lines. And a lot of them are involved in syndicated crime.”
Mr Lee added that not only would an exempt operator regime be “an integral part” of the Government’s strategy to deal with the problem of remote gambling, it “complements” the general prohibition of remote gambling by providing “a regulated and controlled outlet, to divert activities from illegal operators”.
