The Straits Times, Jan 4, 2011

Casino exclusion process now faster

By Ng Kai Ling

FAMILIES will now be able to get their relatives with gambling problems barred from casinos, just two weeks after they apply for it.

This comes after changes to the application process by the National Council of Problem Gambling (NCPG).

Acting on feedback that six weeks was too long, the NCPG has more than halved the processing time by ensuring that a hearing date is set for each case once someone contacts the council for a family exclusion order.

Earlier, families and subjects of the exclusion order would have to go through counselling, and have a detailed 25-page report on their circumstances submitted before a hearing date could be set.

This part of the process is often the most time-consuming, said Tanjong Pagar Family Service Centre senior counsellor Charles Lee, because problem gamblers can be uncooperative and delay the hearing by skipping appointments.

With the new process, a hearing date is set even before the counselling is done, and regardless of whether the gambler turns up or not, a decision can be made based on the family's input.

If the application is approved, an exclusion order is issued immediately after the hearing. Following which, case workers can recommend follow-up counselling sessions. Families can also ask for them after the order is given.

The NCPG started testing out the process early last month after frustrated families complained about the time it took to have a family exclusion order issued.

One family member, Mr Richard Ho, wrote to the Straits Times Forum page on Nov 27 last year, saying that the process to get a ban on one of his relatives was too bureaucratic and long.

NCPG chairman Lim Hock San said a lot of waiting time has been cut by having the counselling session and hearing on the same day.

'We want to help families better manage the tensions and conflict from an application for family exclusion. Yet, we have also learnt that families feel an urgent need to stop problem gambling.'

Mr Lee recalled a recent case of a husband gambling away the daily $30 maintenance money he was supposed to give his wife and three kids.

'In this case, the faster approval definitely helped as we could stop the man from gambling away more money,' he said.

To meet the shorter timeline, the NCPG has deployed more manpower, starting last month.

So far, the council has received 410 applications for family exclusion orders since April 2009. As of Dec 31 last year, 297 problem gamblers have been slapped with family exclusion orders.

Unlike cases of voluntary self-exclusion, where gamblers get themselves banned from casinos with immediate effect, family exclusion orders take longer to process.

Mr Lee said applications often get delayed because the parties involved would postpone their counselling appointments or simply not show up.

'Now they get a hearing date immediately and a letter from the NCPG informing them about it. They treat it more seriously. They know that it is important and that it is a time for them to tell their side of the story,' he added.