Singapore residents gambling more, handling it better

More Singapore residents participated in gambling in 2017, but the increase didn’t result in a corresponding rise in the number of the city-state’s problem gamblers.

This week, Singapore’s National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) released the results of its latest survey, which found that “Singapore’s probable pathological and problem gambling rates have remained stable” since the first survey was taken in 2005.

The NCPG says 52% of Singaporeans engaged in at least one form of gambling activity in 2017, up from 44% in the last survey in 2014. However, 2017’s figure is still below the 58% and 54% reported in the 2005 and 2008 surveys, respectively, prompting the NCPG to declare the rate to be “relatively stable over the last 12 years.”

It’s worth noting that this relative stability was achieved despite Singapore welcoming its first two integrated resort casinos in 2010, as well as the official launch of regulated online gambling at the Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf sports- and race-betting monopolies in 2016.