PUBLIC education is needed to curb the rise in the number of Singaporeans getting into gambling from a young age.

Calling the trend a source of concern, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan said yesterday: 'When people start earlier, their sense of judgment and restraint may not be well developed.'

And once young gamblers get hooked on their habit, they face the danger of it becoming a lifetime of addiction, he added.

A government study on gambling released last week found more Singaporeans are picking it up in their teenage years.

About a quarter of those surveyed said they started gambling when they were less than 18 years old, up 10 per cent from three years ago.

Dr Balakrishnan was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Community Sports Festival, which kicked off in the North West district yesterday.

It will bring activities like go-karting and mass walks to residents in the district this month.

According to the ministry survey on gambling, almost half of those surveyed said 4-D was their first gambling activity, while more than a third engaged in gambling with friends.

These and other forms of gambling are also increasingly seen as leisure activities, said the survey.

To tackle youth gambling, the National Council on Problem Gambling will step up public education efforts.

'We will have to reach out to schools and youth organisations to explain what gambling is and what the dangers are... and where to go to for help,' said Dr Balakrishnan.

Agreeing with the need for public education is Dr Carol Balhetchet, director of youth services at the Singapore Children's Society.

'Punishing these youth might make them go into hiding and they might indulge in gambling more,' she told The Straits Times.

Calling youth gambling a problem that has existed for years, Dr Balhetchet said technology has led to its rise. Gambling in computer games like Counterstrike is becoming more common, she said.

'It starts as short-term entertainment, then becomes more complex,' she said.

Besides public education, parents can take practical measures such as setting content filters on the Internet browser on their home computer, she added.

MP Zaqy Mohamad, a member of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Community Development, Youth and Sports, proposed that further steps be considered.

He suggests banning those at risk of becoming addicts from gambling activities, in the same way Singapore's upcoming integrated resorts are expected to deny entry to bankrupts and those on public assistance.

'There needs to be a system in place to target those segments that are at risk,' said Mr Zaqy.

ghimlay@sph.com.sg