SINGAPORE — The National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) has urged the Government to review its decision to exempt Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club from the online gambling ban, saying that the authorities are “sending confusing and conflicting signals”. 

In a statement on Wednesday (Oct 5), the NCCS said: “On the one hand, the Remote Gambling Act (RGA) criminalises remote gambling. But on the other hand, the Government is legalising some forms of remote gambling provided by authorised operators.”

Last week, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said Singapore Pools and the Singapore Turf Club will be exempted from the Act, which came into effect in February 2015. The Act prohibits all gambling activities online and over the phone, and the MHA said “several hundred” online gambling sites have been blocked since then.

The ministry had said that even with robust enforcement and blocking measures, it was not possible to completely eradicate unauthorised remote gambling in Singapore. A complete ban would only drive such activities and demand underground, it had said.

In its statement, the NCCS questioned the Government’s rationale in exempting the two organisations from the ban. “The council finds it difficult to accept the rationale that ‘a complete ban would only serve to drive remote gambling underground, making it harder to detect’. That ‘a tightly-controlled valve is allowed as part of the ecosystem to minimise law and order concerns’ cannot be the best option for Singapore.” the NCCS said.

It  also stressed the ill effects of online gambling, such as depression and anxiety, the impact on the individual and families, and a rise in underage gambling. Studies have also shown that problem gambling has profound impact on productivity, it added.

“We express our grave concerns and respectfully appeal to the Government to review its intended implementation of exempt operators under the RGA. The NCCS believes that removing the temptation of gambling from living rooms and work spaces will ultimately strengthen the fabric of our society for generations to come,” the statement said.