The family exclusion order as a harm-minimisation measure for casino gambling: the case of Singapore

Abstract

Singapore is one of the first jurisdictions in the world that has implemented a harm minimization model based on third party exclusion known as the Family Exclusion Order (FEO). Unlike other forms of third party exclusion practiced in other countries, family members in Singapore are able to apply for FEOs to prevent a gambler from entering the casinos, if the family has experienced harm caused by his/her gambling. In this study, 105 applicants for the FEO were sampled from all successful FEOs granted within a five-year period. Using a qualitative approach, this study attempts to illuminate the intricate issues experienced by family members that provided the impetus for them to apply for the FEO. While the extant literature posits self-exclusion as a superior tool of restraint as it involves the gambler’s personal motivation to curb gambling, this paper reports initial evidence of benefits resulting from family-imposed restraints from the perspective of family members. In particular, positive ratings of the FEO stemmed from a sense of relief experienced by mother and wife applicants. Possible reasons behind these positive outcomes are explicated using intrinsic motivation theory, with sensitivity to gender relations within the family.

Keywords:

• Family dynamics
• casino gambling
• family exclusion order
• harm reduction
• gender and impact of problem gambling

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the reviewers for their valuable comments on the manuscript. Acknowledgments go to the National Council on Problem Gambling (Singapore) and the Humanities and Social Sciences research, National University of Singapore for funding this study and the writer of this manuscript.

Notes

1. The small number of participants in this study who applied for FEO before the opening of casinos in 2010 learned about the FEO from a series of integrated media campaigns launched by NCPG in 2008. NCPG began accepting FEO applications in 2009. Younger applicants, for example siblings and adult children applicants, learned about FEO through the media and internet while older applicants including mothers heard about it through word of mouth. Their goals were mainly to block access to a new gambling activity among family members who had a history of problem gambling.