SINGAPORE CASINO TO IMPLEMENT SOCIAL SAFEGUARDS

By Zakaria Abdul Wahab

SINGAPORE, Feb 24 (Bernama) -- Resorts World at Sentosa (RWS) has agreed to
implement several social safeguards to mitigate the adverse effects of problem
gambling at its newly-opened casino.

RWS would provide an on-site counselling service so that patrons who might
need information and referral for gambling problems could find help on hand.

This was revealed today by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG).

The council said it had been engaging with RWS in dialogues on responsible
gambling.

It said RWS had also implemented the voluntary gaming limit system, where
patrons were able to place a limit on how much money they were prepared
to lose at the casino.

NCPG encouraged casino patrons to make use of the gaming limit system.

It said it was an important measure to ensure that casino gambling remained
as merely recreational as it stopped patrons from chasing losses and crossing
the line into problem gambling.

NCPG Chairman Lim Hock San said the council remained committed to actively
engage RWS to ensure that the stringent social safeguards put in place were
effective, and continued to be benchmarked to best practices in casinos
worldwide.

Since its opening a week ago on the first Chinese New Year holiday, over
100,000 people had visited the RWS casino.

-- BERNAMA