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THE National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) has reached out to more than 14,000 people in the past two years via road shows, workshops and talks on the subject. It has also helped train 250 social workers and counsellors in identifying problem gamblers and persuaded 14 clubs and gaming operators to take voluntary steps to ensure 'responsible gambling' on their premises. These numbers are on the report card which NCPG chairman Lim Hock San unveiled yesterday, at the start of the council's second two-year tenure as the national body tasked by the Government to deal with problem gambling. Heading into its third year, the council aims to: Beef up community help services for problem gamblers; Step up public-education campaigns, particularly among youth, who have been shown by studies to be up to four times likelier to become problem gamblers; and Fine-tune the mechanics of how to bar problem gamblers from casinos. Problem gambling has gained significance with the 2009 opening of the integrated resorts (IRs), home to Singapore's first legal casinos. To cope with the additional work expected, the NCPG has appointed five members with experience in law, counselling and clinical treatment of addicts. It is also setting up an international panel to provide guidance on research and best practices on nipping problem gambling in the bud, said NCPG member David Chan. Among the new NCPG members introduced yesterday was Tampines Family Service Centre (FSC) executive director Joachim Lee. The certified gambling addiction counsellor told The Straits Times he hopes to raise professionalism among community groups that deal with problem gamblers and their families. All counsellors at his FSC know how to spot an individual with a gambling problem by asking specific questions. He explained: 'Gambling could lie at the root of a parental, financial or stress-related problem a family is referred to us for. Training gives us better tools to dig for information that is seldom volunteered.' radhab@sph.com.sg
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