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MCYS to reinforce social safeguard against problem gambling
SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports said it will be reinforcing social safeguards against problem gambling. It is one of the several priorities spelt on in the ministry's addendum to the President's speech.
More measures are expected to be announced soon to also target heavy and frequent gamblers before they get addicted.
In a recent interview with Channel NewsAsia, Acting Minister Chan Chun Sing hinted that raising the current S$100 levy to enter casinos is not likely to be an option to solve the problem.
He said: "It's not just about the casino. If you want to tackle the gambling issue, you have to look holistically across all the factors that are driving this, with or without the casino. It is an issue that is of concern to us. I think the biggest challenge is not the casino - you have things like Internet gaming, Internet gambling. The kind of solutions that we need are much more complex.
"But at the same time, we have to be much more focused... The closest to my heart are people who are vulnerable, some of the low income, the elderly... I would not see it as a levy issue."
The National Council for Problem gambling is calling for a tender within the next three months for professional credit and financial advisory services.
However, counsellors like Charles Lee from Tanjong Pagar Family Service Centre said public education targeting families is also key.
Mr Lee said: "Right now, we are seeing less of the single-type addiction (in) gambling, like only 4D or soccer betting. A lot of times, they also get involved in casino betting... One approach would be on public education for families, that families need to change the way they portray gambling as a pastime."
Separately, the ministry also said it will enhance efforts to help at-risk youth stay on the right path.
And in light of the volatile economic situation, policies will be reviewed to keep pace with changing needs to prevent anyone from falling through the social safety net.
Delivery of social assistance will also be improved while childcare services will be kept affordable and accessible.
Since the income criteria was raised for government childcare subsidies, close to 2,000 children have benefited.
The income criteria for the Centre-based Financial Assistance for Childcare (CFAC) and the Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KiFAS) was raised from S$1,800 to S$3,500 in April.
There was a 37 per cent increase in the number of applications for CFAC compared to the same period last year, while applications for KiFAS for the period of April to June of this year more than doubled compared to the same period last year.
MCYS said it intends to built more childcare centres and more resources will also be invested in training and career development for childcare professionals.
Investments will also be made to expand infrastructure and services and boost manpower within the eldercare sector.
For the disabled, programmes to expand education and employment opportunities will be enhanced under the Enabling Masterplan to be rolled out next year. A wider range of care options and better support to caregivers can also be expected.
MCYS said it will also step up integration efforts to build stronger bonds between locals and new immigrants.
The ministry added that sports will be one way to foster community bonds and national pride. To this end, MCYS is engaging Singaporeans from all walks of life to develop and put into action Vision 2030 - a national initiative to better leverage on sports in the development of the the people, communities and the country.
For youths, the ministry intends to nurture more youth leaders who can contribute to the national and community levels.
-CNA/ac
By Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid | Posted: 13 October 2011 1809 hrs
SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports said it will be reinforcing social safeguards against problem gambling. It is one of the several priorities spelt on in the ministry's addendum to the President's speech.
More measures are expected to be announced soon to also target heavy and frequent gamblers before they get addicted.
In a recent interview with Channel NewsAsia, Acting Minister Chan Chun Sing hinted that raising the current S$100 levy to enter casinos is not likely to be an option to solve the problem.
He said: "It's not just about the casino. If you want to tackle the gambling issue, you have to look holistically across all the factors that are driving this, with or without the casino. It is an issue that is of concern to us. I think the biggest challenge is not the casino - you have things like Internet gaming, Internet gambling. The kind of solutions that we need are much more complex.
"But at the same time, we have to be much more focused... The closest to my heart are people who are vulnerable, some of the low income, the elderly... I would not see it as a levy issue."
The National Council for Problem gambling is calling for a tender within the next three months for professional credit and financial advisory services.
However, counsellors like Charles Lee from Tanjong Pagar Family Service Centre said public education targeting families is also key.
Mr Lee said: "Right now, we are seeing less of the single-type addiction (in) gambling, like only 4D or soccer betting. A lot of times, they also get involved in casino betting... One approach would be on public education for families, that families need to change the way they portray gambling as a pastime."
Separately, the ministry also said it will enhance efforts to help at-risk youth stay on the right path.
And in light of the volatile economic situation, policies will be reviewed to keep pace with changing needs to prevent anyone from falling through the social safety net.
Delivery of social assistance will also be improved while childcare services will be kept affordable and accessible.
Since the income criteria was raised for government childcare subsidies, close to 2,000 children have benefited.
The income criteria for the Centre-based Financial Assistance for Childcare (CFAC) and the Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KiFAS) was raised from S$1,800 to S$3,500 in April.
There was a 37 per cent increase in the number of applications for CFAC compared to the same period last year, while applications for KiFAS for the period of April to June of this year more than doubled compared to the same period last year.
MCYS said it intends to built more childcare centres and more resources will also be invested in training and career development for childcare professionals.
Investments will also be made to expand infrastructure and services and boost manpower within the eldercare sector.
For the disabled, programmes to expand education and employment opportunities will be enhanced under the Enabling Masterplan to be rolled out next year. A wider range of care options and better support to caregivers can also be expected.
MCYS said it will also step up integration efforts to build stronger bonds between locals and new immigrants.
The ministry added that sports will be one way to foster community bonds and national pride. To this end, MCYS is engaging Singaporeans from all walks of life to develop and put into action Vision 2030 - a national initiative to better leverage on sports in the development of the the people, communities and the country.
For youths, the ministry intends to nurture more youth leaders who can contribute to the national and community levels.
-CNA/ac
