TWO Singaporean Chinese men - deemed problem gamblers by their wives - are set to be the first people barred from entering Singapore's two casinos when they eventually open. A further 12 are expected to join the list once interviews and hearings before a panel are conducted.

Giving its first update since it began accepting applications for family exclusion orders on April 1, the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) said that it had received 78 enquiries to exclude loved ones from casinos as at May 30.

Fourteen of these people eventually went for counselling by social workers at Tanjong Pagar Family Service Centre (FSC) and reached the family exclusion order pre-application stage. The two men, who will be the first to appear before the Committee of Assessors later this month, were nominated by their wives, NCPG secretary Salmiah Hamid said at a media briefing yesterday.

One is a 52-year-old manager with A-Level education, while the other is a 35-year-old who is self-employed. The closed-door hearings, chaired by a former high court judge, will be held in tribunal fashion at the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS).

Giving a breakdown of the 14 gamblers, NCPG said that five of them - including one below the age of 21 - have no monthly income. Three others earn less than $1,500 a month. Education-wise, 10 of them have an Institute of Technical Education certificate or below, three are diploma holders and one is a graduate.

The more common reasons for wanting to apply for an exclusion order include harassment by loan sharks, strained family relationships and gamblers themselves not wishing to seek proper help.

Family exclusion orders under the Casino Exclusion scheme allow families to apply for exclusion of problem gamblers from casinos. This serves as a social safeguard to prevent problem gamblers and those with financial difficulties entering the casinos in Singapore.

The country's first casino, at the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort, is expected to open at the end of this year. The second, at the Resorts World IR on Sentosa, is on track to open next year.

While the 78 enquiries received here may seem small, the number is far larger than that seen in South Australia, NCPG said. There, just 170 enquiries were received in a four-year period from July 2004 to July 2008.

Charlotte Beck, director of the Elderly, Disability and Gambling Safeguards department at MCYS, said: 'The statistics confirm mostly what we already know - that problem gamblers are mostly Chinese men who may not necessarily be lower-educated.'

The only surprise, she said, is that of the 14 people at the pre-application stage, five were referred to FSC by their parents. 'Normally, it is a spouse or sibling that applies on a person's behalf, but we are also seeing parents of adult children making enquiries,' said Ms Beck.

Enquiries about family exclusion orders and other issues relating to problem gambling can be made via the National Problem Gambling helpline on 1800-6-668-668.